Obsession (A McRoll in the Real World Story)
by sammy1026
Summary: The Five-O team works a murder case that isn't what it seems.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Notes: **__I am having more fun that I can possibly express writing in the Real World universe with Mari & ilna. You guys are THE BEST! I'm having so much fun bouncing ideas around and being part of a collaborative process! I couldn't possibly think of two better people to be taking this ride with._

_And bottomless thanks to Sandy—who is the best kind of friend. The kind who knows when "it's ok" really means it's anything but and who says "rant to me as often as you need to" and really means it and really listens and whose wicked sense of humor can find the bright side of any situation. _

**This fic is complete. There were originally six chapters but since we got 10 new email followers (actually more than 10 THANKS!) by yesterday I combined Chapters 1 & 2 and made and extra-long Chapter 1. I'll be posting one chapter a day all week.**

**Obsession**

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Tuesday 8:30 A.M.**_

Steve McGarrett entered Iolani Palace early Tuesday morning hoping for a slow day. The previous two weeks had been grueling. The team had been working on a human sex-trafficking case, in conjunction with the FBI and HPD, and they were all was exhausted, not only from the brutally long hours involved but from the emotional toll the case exacted on them all.

As he approached the Five-O offices he saw Danny, Kono and Chin through the glass doors, gathered around the smart table apparently deep in conversation and his heart dropped. He wondered if a new case had come in and they were getting ready to call him.

The minute he opened the door his teammates turned towards him and broke into a round of enthusiastic, and only partially mocking, applause.

"What now?" Steve sighed warily as he noticed the silly grins on all their faces.

"Very impressive, Boss," Kono said appreciatively while Chin smiled and nodded in agreement.

Steve froze in place. "What are you talking about?"

He honestly had no idea what had brought on this display. The last time he'd received a welcome like this at the office was the day he'd been named Oahu's Most Eligible Bachelor. The teasing over that had just recently started to die down and he really hoped nothing had happened to kick it up again.

"What are we … we're talking about the flowers," Danny said with a flourish as he stepped aside and revealed two dozen long stem red roses in a crystal vase sitting in the center of the smart table. "What else would we be talking about?"

Steve looked at each member of the team in turn, hoping for a clue as to what was going on. Finally he had to ask.

"Who are those for?"

"Very funny," Chin scoffed. "Who do you think?"

"I have no idea," Steve shrugged his shoulders, seriously hoping they weren't for him.

"Wait," Chin cocked his head to the side. "You really don't know?"

"You mean you didn't … they're for Catherine … are you saying they're not from you?" Danny asked skeptically.

"They're definitely not from me," Steve assured them as he crossed the room, plucked the small white card from the plastic holder nestled in the flowers and read it.

_For Catherine,_

_These flowers can never hold a candle to your beauty but please accept them as a small token of my undying affection._

"Huh." Steve read the card again then turned it over, looking for a clue as to who may have sent the beautiful bouquet.

"Well whoever sent them, they're gorgeous," Kono said as she straightened the ribbon adorning the vase. "Someone has very good taste."

Danny watched as Steve returned the card to its holder and gave the flowers a last once over.

"You really had nothing to do with this," he asked, suddenly serious.

When he'd initially seen the unsigned card he was sure the flowers were from Steve. Such a flashy display would normally be out of character for his partner but it had been a rough couple of weeks and Catherine definitely needed the pick me up so he thought Steve might have decided to do something a little different.

But if they weren't from Steve he had to wonder who they were from, and why the person wanted to keep their identity a secret. The whole thing seemed harmless on its face but there was something about it that made Danny uncomfortable.

"I really had nothing to do with this." Steve checked the flowers and vase, looking for some sign of the name of the florist who sold them, but saw nothing. "Who delivered them?"

"They were sitting outside the door when I got in this morning," Chin answered, suddenly feeling a little of Danny's unease.

"That's weird," Steve shrugged. "Maybe Catherine will know who sent them."

Danny smiled to himself.

Steve and Catherine really were the least jealous people he'd ever met. It had taken him a while to get a handle on the relationship the two of them shared, especially in the early days of his partnership with Steve when Catherine was stationed overseas and her visits to Hawaii were infrequent, but once he did he realized that their lack of jealousy was a product of their absolute devotion to, and trust in, one another.

"Speaking of Catherine, where is she?"

"She went to HPD to give her final statement and finish up the paperwork on the Terriaga bust. She'll be back in an hour or so."

"I'm sure she'll be glad to get that one behind her," Chin said quietly. "I know I will."

"I think we all will," Steve agreed, then changed the subject. "Anyway, she'll be here soon. We can ask her about the flowers then."

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Tuesday 9:45 A.M.**_

Steve tried, and failed, to concentrate on the files spread out on his desk in front of him. He tapped his fingers nervously. He checked his watch for the third time in five minutes. He thought about calling Duke to see if Catherine was still at HPD, and to make sure everything was going alright, but he knew she wouldn't be happy if she got wind he was checking up on her.

He rubbed his forehead and tried to go back to his reading, then decided he could invent a reason to talk to Duke and just casually ask if Catherine was still there at the end of the conversation. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started to dial then hung up quickly when he saw her coming through the doors of HQ.

He took note of the tension in her shoulders and the sadness in her eyes.

He'd offered to go with her to HPD, knowing how hard recounting any part of the Terriaga case yet again would be, even if it was necessary to make sure the prosecution team had everything it needed to win a conviction, but she'd refused and said she could handle it, as he knew she would.

He never doubted her strength, or her ability and willingness to do whatever needed done to bring a criminal to justice, but she was asked to go above and beyond on the Terriaga case and it would have tested anyone, himself included.

The FBI had tracked the leaders of a human sex trafficking ring to Oahu. The ring sold girls, some as young as 10, to international "clients" for use in everything from prostitution rings to child pornography. They were extremely organized and extremely careful. The people in charge had been nearly impossible to pin down for the entire two years of the investigation. The FBI had spent countless hours infiltrating the group and then ultimately setting up a sting by creating the profile of an overseas buyer.

After building enough trust to finally get a face to face meeting, the agent slated to play the role of the buyer had to recuse herself because of a family emergency. The FBI was scrambling, afraid they would never have another chance this good to bring down the ring. They needed someone who was a quick study and could step into the role at the last minute. One of the agents on the case had worked with Catherine previously in Navy Intel, knew she was on the island working for Five-O now, and suggested her for the job.

Catherine agreed to play the part, but because the meeting was already set and couldn't be changed she had only a week to get ready. She was forced to immerse herself in the voluminous case file which contained pages of information that would make even the strongest agent sick to their stomach. But it was vital she commit all of it to memory.

She had to be able to talk about, and view, all manner of disgusting material without flinching so as not to give herself away during the meeting. If the ring leaders got even a hint that Catherine was not who she claimed to be they would go even deeper underground and any chance at stopping them would be lost.

She not only studied the human sex trafficking business as a whole but also the cases of individual victims. She read about the very few who were rescued successfully, and whose information had helped build the case, but also about the scores who were not, who had disappeared in to the shady underworld this ring created and had never been seen or heard from again.

When it came time for her to play the role of hard-hearted child sex trafficker it went off without a hitch. Catherine managed to get the men she met with to make all the admissions the FBI was looking for and the bureau was able to make multiple arrests on the spot. Then those men, looking to save their own skin as criminals in that position often do, started naming names that lead to other arrests.

The head of the FBI Sex Crimes Division was so impressed he offered her a job on the spot. Catherine smiled and said thank you then told him she was perfectly happy with the job she already had. She was very proud of the work she'd done on the case, as well as the fact that not only had the FBI arrested their targets but they had managed to nail several locals for the HPD as well.

Still, that night she sobbed in Steve's arms for hours, devastated by the fate of the girls that had been sold before the ring had been busted. The FBI had told her quite honestly that while they would try to recover those girls, the chances were very slim that any would be returned.

Steve was glad the case was finally closed and they could all move on. He exited his office and decided to tease her to lighten her mood.

"Hey Rollins, do you have a secret admirer you forgot to tell me about?" he asked with a wide smile.

Catherine looked up and when she saw him smiling at her couldn't help but smile in return. "What?"

Steve indicated the flowers still sitting on the smart table. "Those came for you this morning."

"For me?" Catherine looked surprised.

"Yeah. Take a look at the card. It's pretty sappy."

Danny, Chin and Kono heard voices in the bullpen and came out of their offices to see if Catherine had any idea who might have sent the flowers. They watched with interest as she crossed to the smart table, plucked the card from the holder and read it.

"Is this a joke?" She looked back at Steve with a questioning look.

"No," Chin assured her. "They were waiting when I got here this morning."

"Someone's trying to make a big impression," Kono said. "I wouldn't mind it if Adam tried to make that kind of impression on me."

Catherine exchanged a knowing look with Kono then returned her attention to the flowers. "It's weird though. Who would send me flowers? And roses to boot?"

"Maybe it was that FBI guy, the one who offered you the job, what was his name?" Steve asked.

Catherine rolled her eyes. She knew Steve knew exactly what his name was.

"Ken Jenkins."

"That's right. Ken Jenkins. He was quite taken with you."

"I doubt it was him," she scoffed.

"I don't know." Chin picked up Steve's teasing. "He was trying pretty hard to woo you away from Five-O and get you to go work for the Bureau. Maybe he isn't going to give up without a fight."

"You're both crazy," Catherine smiled. "If they were from him, I think he would have signed the card. Plus, who makes a job offer by talking about undying affection?"

"You might have a point," Chin conceded. "Still, who else do you think would have sent them?"

"I have no idea," she said contemplatively.

"Maybe they're from Jerry," Danny teased, drawing chuckles from everyone.

"I doubt that," Catherine smiled fondly. Jerry clearly had a little crush on her but now that he realized she and Steve were together, as in together, she didn't think he'd be bold enough to do something like this. He definitely had a case of hero worship for Steve and would never want to upset him in any way.

"Better watch out, Boss," Kono teased. "You're gonna have to step up your game. Looks like you've got competition."

Steve smiled confidently. "I can handle it."

Catherine beamed at him. "I don't really feel comfortable keeping them since I don't know who they're from. Maybe I'll send them over to the hospital for someone who needs a pick me up."

"That sounds like a great idea," Steve agreed. "Can I see you for a minute first though?"

"Sure," Catherine said as she cast one last glance at the roses before turning and heading for Steve's office.

Steve held the door open for her as she entered and then followed right behind her as the other team members dispersed.

He indicated the couch with his hand and once she took a seat he settled beside her.

"How'd things go at HPD?" he asked quietly. "Did you get everything finished up?"

"Yes, thankfully. The three locals we busted are naming names, trying to get themselves a deal of course, so it looks like we're gonna get a lot of people off the streets who deserve …" Catherine hesitated, dropping her eyes to the carpet as she fought off memories of the case material, " … let's just say the island will be a better place with them in custody."

Steve ran his hand down her arm and laced their fingers together in a rare office PDA. "I know this case was tough, Catherine, but you should be proud of the work you did."

"I am," she smiled and squeezed his hand. She knew he'd been worried about her. Even though he hadn't studied the case material to the same degree she had, he'd seen enough of the pictures and read enough of the profiles to get a feel for what she was going through.

He'd been an invaluable sounding board for her during the time she was getting ready to meet with the ring leaders. In the aftermath, he'd been a rock and had provided a level of emotional support Catherine could not have made it through without, but quite honestly she was ready to move on and put the entire case behind her.

Suddenly she remembered a conversation she'd had on her way back to the office. "Oh, Abbey Barnes approached me again this morning when I was leaving HPD."

"About?"

"Same as always. She wants a chance to work as liaison on a case or two with Five-O."

"Why?"

"She's ambitious, Steve. She's not sure how much room there is for advancement at HPD."

"She wants to work here?"

"I'm sure she'd jump at the chance. But I also think she wants to show what she can do on a bigger case hoping she might catch someone's attention and get an offer from another agency."

"What do you think of her?" Steve was interested in Catherine's honest assessment.

"I don't really know her that well," Catherine admitted. "I mean we've worked on what … two cases together. And not closely. But she's smart and she's tough and like I said she's ambitious."

"You think she can handle more?"

"I think she deserves a chance to try."

"That's good enough for me. I'll ask Duke to assign her as liaison next case that comes up and see what she can do."

"I'm sure she'll be grateful," Catherine said.

Steve nodded and relaxed deeper into the couch. "Things are kinda slow around here today. Why don't you take the rest of the morning off and go out and do … those things girls do to relax."

"Those things girls do to relax?" she teased.

"Yeah," he nudged her shoulder, "you know, all that mysterious hair and nail and waxing stuff."

"It's hardly mysterious."

"It is to me. And I'm perfectly happy to keep it that way."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Catherine assured him. "There's probably a lot I can do around here to make up for all the time I spent on the Terriaga case over the last two weeks."

Steve didn't want to smother her but he wanted to be sure she took all the time she needed to decompress. "You sure?"

"Positive," she said confidently.

"OK then, but if you need a little break just let me know."

"I'm fine, Steve, really." Catherine placed her hand on his leg.

"If you say so."

She leaned in close, sliding her hand up his thigh, and whispered in his ear. "But I appreciate you worrying."

After checking to make sure no one was watching she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips, then got up and left his office leaving him sitting on the couch shaking his head and smiling.

* * *

_**Sidestreet**_

_**Friday 6:45 P.M.**_

"And that's exactly where I found him," Chin said, unable to hold back her laughter any longer. "Backed up against the wall while a very angry 80 year old woman in a leotard and rollers poked her finger in to his chest and read him the riot act about how her grandson didn't live there."

Everyone at the table burst into peals of laughter. Especially Lou Grover, who was relatively new to the group and had never heard the oft told story before. The Five-O team had gathered for a relaxing end of the week dinner at Sidestreet and invited the SWAT captain to join them.

Funny stories of past cases had flowed freely during dinner and continued now as the group relaxed over a round of drinks.

"YOU were the one that gave me the wrong address," Danny accused, but he couldn't help smiling at the memory himself.

"I told you when I gave it to you that it was his last known and it was at least a year old," Chin defended. "YOU decided to go in without waiting for backup."

"I could hear people moving around inside. I wanted to get in there before they tried to leave."

"Turns out the noise was the grandma doing her morning yoga," Kono said, then burst out laughing.

Steve and Catherine watched from across the table, his arm casually draped across her shoulders and her hand resting on his knee.

"Go ahead. Laugh it up," Danny said. "I've got plenty of stories about you guys." He pointed at Grover. "And it's only a matter of time for you."

"Are you sure you want to get into a battle of embarrassing stories Danny," Catherine warned with a chuckle.

Steve smiled, happy to see her so relaxed and enjoying time with friends after a period of weeks that had been tough on her, on all of them really. It was nice to take time to just enjoy each other's company for a while.

"Everyone ready for another round?" Steve asked as the waitress approached the table.

"Sure. Why not," Kono said, checking her watch. "I have a couple hours before I have to be at the airport."

"What time is your flight?" Chin asked.

"Ten," Kono replied. She was looking forward to getting away for a week with Adam. The vacation had originally been planned for two weeks prior but had to be re-scheduled because of the Terriaga investigation.

"I'm ready for another," Danny huffed. "Since apparently it's pick on Danny night."

"I can't help it," Chin laughed. "You just happen to end up in the middle of a lot of funny situations."

"I'm in," Grover agreed. "My wife and kids are out shopping and won't be home for hours. And when they do finally get home there will be a fashion show by my daughter where I'll have to pretend I can tell the difference between a dark blue shirt and a navy blue shirt."

Danny smiled an understanding smile.

"One more all around, please," Steve smiled at the waitress as she gathered up the empty glasses and dishes.

As Chin began another story about one of Danny's misadventures on the island Steve leaned over and kissed Catherine on the cheek. "Having fun?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am," She smiled in return.

"Good," he said before turning his attention back to the others at the table.

"Wait..wait..wait," Danny put up his hands in the universal sign of stop. "Why are we picking on each other here? What we should be doing is telling embarrassing stories about Steve."

* * *

_**Sidestreet**_

_**Friday 8:30 P.M.**_

As the Five-O team stepped out the door they realized that at some point while they were inside it had started to rain. They all had to make the mad dash across the parking lot to avoid getting drenched. Steve stopped and opened the passenger side door of the truck before dashing around to the driver's side. Catherine, who was a few steps behind him, jumped in gratefully.

"Thanks," she smiled as she settled herself in and put on her seat belt. "That was very gallant."

"I try," he winked at her.

"This was really fun," she said happily. "Thanks for suggesting it."

"I figured we could all use a relaxing night out."

"I think Grover had a good time too."

"He seemed to." Steve turned on the windshield wipers and pulled out of the parking lot.

"No matter how many times I hear it, the story of Danny and Yoga Grandma will never not be funny."

"My only regret about that whole case is that Chin was the one who rolled up on the scene for back up instead of me," Steve chuckled. "I would have paid real money to see that whole thing go down."

"Too bad Chin didn't think to pull out his phone and video it," Catherine snorted.

"He was probably laughing too hard to hold the phone steady."

She nodded. "But the good news is this is Danny we're talking about. The next repeatable story is just around the corner."

"I'm gonna tell him you said that," Steve threatened.

"Is there anything I can do to buy your silence?" she grinned as she waggled her eyebrows.

Steve burst out laughing. "Was that supposed to be seductive?"

"It is when you do it?" Catherine pouted. "Are you saying it isn't when I do it?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Steve grinned. "But I'm sure you can find a way to convince me using something other than your eyebrows."

"Challenge accepted, Commander," Catherine purred as Steve stepped on the gas just a little harder.

* * *

_**McGarrett/Rollins Residence**_

_**Friday 9:00 P.M.**_

As Steve pulled into the driveway and cut the truck's engine he and Catherine noticed an odd splash of color sitting on the table on the lanai.

"What the hell is that?" Steve squinted his eyes against the darkness and the rain as he opened the door and exited the truck.

"I have no idea," Catherine said as she slid out of the passenger's side.

They dashed up the sidewalk through the raindrops until they got closer and it became apparent that the color in question was actually a large bouquet of latex balloons. They stepped under the porch roof and examined the unexpected gift.

"Who in the world … " Steve asked as he reached out for the card attached the burlap covered weight holding the balloons down.

"Does it say who they're from?" Catherine ran her hands through her hair, pushing the now damp strands away from her face.

Steve looked at the card.

"Ok, this is getting ridiculous."

He passed it over to Catherine who read out loud.

_For my Dearest Catherine,_

_I hope these put a smile on your face. You're beautiful when you smile. You should do it as often as possible._

"Who's doing this," she asked with irritation in her voice. "Sending flowers to the office was one thing but this is our home."

Steve checked the area for anything that might be out of place then turned back to the balloons.

"There's no sign of how they got here," he said.

When Catherine didn't respond he looked at her and saw the annoyance on her face. He reached out, took the card from her hand and tossed it on to the table beside the balloons.

"Leave those there. Let's go inside," he said, holding out his hand to her.

"Who could be doing this?"

She continued to stare at the balloons.

"I don't know," Steve wrapped his arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the house. "But we're gonna find out."

* * *

_**McGarrett/Rollins Residence**_

_**Friday 11:00 P.M.**_

Steve was already settled in bed when Catherine exited the bathroom rubbing in the last of the lotion she had applied. She tossed the damp towel that had been draped over her arm into the hamper and turned out the light. She double checked to make sure the alarm on her phone was set then slid into bed, grateful that they had managed to turn in early, and together, for the first time in weeks.

Steve held out his arm and she settled comfortably into his side, her hand resting over his heart as his rubbed slowly and soothingly up and down her spine.

After a few minutes of total silence he asked, "You still thinking about the balloons?"

"Yeah," Catherine slid her hand down and picked at the hem of his t-shirt. "And the roses. I just can't figure out who would be sending this stuff. I've been wracking my brain but I can't think of anyone."

"The flowers were harmless enough," Steve said, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "But I don't like the idea that whoever it is came to the house this time."

"Me either," Catherine admitted.

"We're gonna figure out who's doing this, Cath," Steve turned his head and met her eyes, "but in the meantime I want you to be extra careful."

"I don't think we need to go overboard. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"So far."

Steve didn't want to overreact but something about this situation made him very uncomfortable.

"It'll be fine, Steve," Catherine stretched up to kiss him. "Whoever it is clearly isn't eager to make direct contact. Everything gets delivered when I'm not around."

"Still … "

"I know. I'll be careful," she assured him.

"Thank you." He kissed her softly on the lips.

"Besides … I don't want to talk about that right now. Right now I have other things I want to concentrate on."

"Is that so?" Steve smiled as he pulled her on top of him and ran his hands up her back under her t-shirt.

"Yes, it is most definitely so," Catherine teased. "I believe you challenged me in the truck …."

Catherine leaned down and captured his lips. Just as she deepened the kiss and settled herself on top of her very eager boyfriend his phone buzzed.

She pulled back, rested her forehead against his and sighed. "You have got to be kidding me."

Steve grabbed his phone off the side table and saw Danny's name on the caller ID as Catherine rolled off, jumped out of bed and started getting dressed.

There was only one person who called at this time of night.

And whose timing was this bad.

"McGarrett," he said in a clipped tone. "Ok, we'll be right there."

Steve slid out of bed and moved towards the dresser where Catherine was pulling on her jeans. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him then dipped his head and kissed her deeply. "Hold that thought. We'll get back to it soon."

* * *

_**Warehouse/Downtown Honolulu**_

_**Saturday 2:00 A.M.**_

Steve and Catherine each took their own vehicles, as was their habit, to the crime scene. On the way they got filled in via three-way call with Danny on what was known so far. Three mutilated bodies were found in a warehouse in Honolulu. They had been discovered by an HPD officer responding to a report of a door that looked as if it had been pried open. He had secured the crime scene and called it in. Because of his description of what he saw inside the warehouse Five-O was contacted immediately.

When Steve and Catherine arrived a little after midnight they found Danny and Chin huddled under a hastily erected HPD tent, attempting to avoid the persistent rain that was still falling, interviewing some of the first responders and people milling around the scene trying to determine if there were any witnesses or if anyone had any information about who the dead men in the warehouse were or who might have committed the crime. They parked their vehicles at the edge of the cordoned off area, got out and approached the other team members.

"You better prepare yourself before you go in there," Danny said.

"That bad?" Catherine asked. They'd seen a lot of gruesome crime scenes over the years. She couldn't imagine what could make this one so much worse.

"That bad," Chin said as the four of them jogged towards the door.

When Steve and Catherine entered the warehouse they saw a bloodbath as bad as anything they'd ever seen. The bodies were unidentifiable by any of the usual means. The fingertips had been removed, as had all the teeth. At first glance those things were nowhere to be seen. However, the floor was littered with disarticulated fingers, toes, ears, and one bloody piece of flesh that looked suspiciously like a nose.

The faces of the victims were slashed beyond recognition. There were chunks of flesh removed from various parts of the bodies that looked as though they had been cut out to obscure tattoos or birth marks.

There was blood pooled on the floor and splattered on virtually every wall and upright surface. It looked as though the victims had most definitely put up a fight but had ultimately been overpowered by the murderer or murderers.

As they approached what was left of the bodies Max looked up with a grim expression.

"We're going to have to hope for a DNA match, Commander, there's very little chance we'll be able to identify the bodies by any standard means."

"Whoever did this really wanted to make sure we couldn't identify the vics," Steve said as he surveyed the carnage.

"So why not dump them in the ocean? Or throw them in a volcano? Why do … this?" Danny asked incredulously as he sidestepped around an ear as well as an HPD evidence marker bearing the number 85.

"Excellent question," Max nodded. "It probably speaks to the pathology of the perpetrator. There are some who believe …"

Officer Abbey Barnes approached the group and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, Max." Steve turned to face the eager young officer. "What have you got?"

"We've secured the scene. The CSU team has bagged over 100 pieces of evidence and we're still working. We've collected blood samples, hair and fibers, and are currently collecting other forms of trace evidence from the bodies before they're transported to the ME's office."

Steve remembered his promise to Catherine that he would give Abbey Barnes a chance to prove herself as soon as an opportunity arose.

"That's great. Thanks. Why don't you take point on this and serve as the liaison between Five-O and HPD. I'll clear it with your boss."

"Thank you, sir." Abbey was practically bouncing. "That'd be great. I won't let you down, sir."

Steve smiled. "I'm sure you won't. Get with Charlie Fong and our evidence techs and get me a summary of all the evidence from the scene as soon as possible."

"Will do." Abbey turned and crossed the warehouse to talk to the CSU team with a definite spring in her step.

Catherine smiled at Steve. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. Let's see how she does."

* * *

**Five-O Headquarters**

**Monday 7:00 A.M.**

Steve and Danny returned to headquarters after a quick stop at Max's lab that yielded absolutely no new information. As they entered the office they saw Chin and Catherine standing at the smart table.

"Anything new?" Danny asked hopefully. Every hour that went by without a lead, even something as basic as identifying who the victims were, made the chances of solving the murders far more remote.

"Nothing yet," Chin responded.

"HPD is running plates on all the cars in the parking lot but so far all the owners are accounted for. They still have a way to go though," Catherine said. "They'll let us know if anything turns up."

"The warehouse is leased to a company called Exotic Imports." Chin swiped a copy of a State of Hawaii Business License up to the overhead screen. "They deal in high end goods. They look legit at first glance but I'm still digging."

"Does anyone with the company have any idea who the dead bodies might be?"

"The warehouse supervisor says the place should have been empty all weekend. HPD is trying to get in touch with the company CEO to see if he has any idea," Chin said.

"Maybe they had some kind of shady side business going?" Danny suggested.

"You never know," Chin said. "I'm checking every possibility."

"Max said he'll have a preliminary report in a couple of hours," Danny added, "but don't hold your breath … there's probably not gonna be much there. He's sending DNA out right away but the results will take a while."

"Okay. Let's keep digging," Steve sighed. "Chin, as soon as HPD tracks down the CEO have a face to face with him. Get a feel for whether he's telling the whole truth or not. Cath, keep checking those license plates. Also, if you can get a list of everyone with access to that warehouse, that'd be great."

"Will do," Catherine and Chin said in unison as they turned and headed for their respective offices.

Steve turned to Danny. "Someone has to miss these guys eventually, right? Let's check missing person's reports from the surrounding islands. I'm gonna check in with Kamekona and see if there are any rumors in the air. We have to find out who these guys are before we can find out who wanted them dead."

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Tuesday 3:00 P.M.**_

Steve returned from briefing the Governor on the progress in the case, or more accurately the lack thereof, and found the rest of the team gathered in Chin's office brainstorming ideas to help them gain some traction. They'd been spinning their wheels since the discovery of the bodies and the frustration was taking a toll. The only good news was the rain that had been pouring down for three days had finally let up, although according to the forecasters it was only a temporary break.

"Anything new," he asked wearily as he entered Chin's office.

Chin shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I've been combing through the business records of Exotic Imports looking for anything shady but so far they look like they're totally legit."

"And no one from the company has any idea who the three dead guys in the warehouse might be?" Steve asked with a hint of skepticism.

"They say they don't," Chin answered. "I'll keep trying."

"I'm gonna search missing person's reports from a bigger area," Danny said. "Maybe the victims aren't local. Maybe they were here on business."

"Worth a try," Steve nodded.

"I'm gonna meet with Abbey Barnes over at HPD and re-inventory every piece of evidence. See if there's anything we missed," Catherine said.

"Sounds good," Steve said wearily. "Maybe a set of fresh eyes will break something loose. I'd love to say let's call it a day but the Governor is pushing hard on this one. We need to keep going until we at least identify the victims."

"On it," Danny said as he stood up to leave.

"Something has to break our way soon," Steve said.

"Hopefully," Chin said sardonically.

"That's what we've been saying for what …two days now? And still nothing," Danny pointed out.

Catherine looked at her watch. "If I leave now we should be able to get through the evidence before midnight."

"Thanks everyone," Steve said sincerely. "I'm gonna head over to the courthouse and see if anyone had a beef with Exotic Imports that might have turned ugly." He turned to Catherine. "Walk out with me?"

Catherine smiled. "Happy to."

* * *

**Five-O Headquarters**

**Wednesday 11:00 A.M.**

Catherine stalked through the door into the bullpen, hair damp from the rain that had started up again, carrying a pink teddy bear and radiating anger. She'd spent the morning canvassing the warehouse district for the third time, trying to turn up anyone who might have seen something unusual on Friday night. It was a long shot, but at this point they couldn't pass up anything that might lead to a break in this case.

Danny started to make a smart remark but it died on his lips when he sensed Catherine's anger.

"What's going on?" he asked, taking a few steps towards her.

"THIS," Catherine spat out, holding the teddy bear at arm's length, "was in my car. IN. MY. CAR."

Before Danny could say anything else, or ask for any details, Steve came out of his office.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing to the bear.

Catherine turned towards him, one hand on her hip, the other shaking the bear angrily.

"It was in my car when I came out of the last warehouse. IN. MY. CAR."

"Is there a note?" Steve's jaw clenched and his posture stiffened.

"Yes." Catherine handed him a crumbled piece of paper. "Same kind of crap as the first two."

Steve read out loud.

_My Fairest Catherine, I hope this brightens your day. Try not to work too hard._

"OK this has gone beyond harmless and funny. This is serious now. "

"I agree," Danny said. He took the bear from Catherine and held his hand out to Steve for the note. "I'm gonna send these down to the lab and have them processed."

"You don't have to go that far," Catherine argued, not wanting to overreact. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Maybe I'm making too much of this. I'm just … irritated. Someone obviously thinks this is cute and it's not. In fact they're probably doing it as a joke but I'm just in no frame of mind to find it funny right now."

"That's because it isn't funny." Steve reached out and rubbed her arm.

"The notes aren't threatening at all," she pointed out. "And the guy, whoever he is, hasn't approached me directly. I just … it makes me feel uncomfortable."

"We're gonna get to the bottom of this," Steve assured her. "Harmless or not, this needs to end."

Before he could say anything else Abbey Barnes rushed through the doors and into the bullpen. She approached the group, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the pink teddy bear in Danny's hands.

"We have a lead," she said excitedly, waving a piece of paper that appeared to have the Crime Lab logo on top.

"What is it?" they all asked simultaneously.

"Okay, well, we know the lab didn't come up with any hits on the blood samples we collected from the scene the first time around."

"Right." Steve nodded.

"So I decided to ask them to run everything again, you know, just in case, and this time I suggested they widen the search to include databases other than criminal. You know, people who had given blood samples for medical reasons, or genealogical ones. I was reading an article online about how lots of organizations are allowing their databases to be searched, with the donor's permission of course, as a way to help law enforcement identify unknown victims."

"And?" Danny asked impatiently.

"And this time they got a hit," Abbey revealed. "According to Dr. Bergman it doesn't match any of the bodies so it has to be the perp, or one of the perps."

"That's great work, Abbey," Catherine said encouragingly, the teddy bear incident all but forgotten.

"What's his name," Chin asked. He had been drawn into the bullpen by Abbey's excited arrival. He moved towards the smart table prepared to start a search on the possible suspect.

"Jack Fitzsimmons," Abbey said. "From Honolulu. His mother suffered from some sort of genetic abnormality and he gave blood and DNA samples to aid in the research. That's how we found him."

Chin started typing furiously.

"Do we know where he is right now?" Steve asked.

"No. We have a work address and a home address but we aren't sure where he is."

"Great work,Abbey. Send all the info to our phones," Steve said. "Danny, you and Chin head to the guy's house and see if he's there. I'm gonna call Grover and have him meet me at the guy's job. Catherine, you head over to HPD with Abbey and get any information you can on this guy. No time to waste here—we have to get him off the street."

* * *

**Waialua Plastics**

**Wednesday 11:45 A.M.**

Grover and his team met Steve at Waialua Plastics, where Fitzsimmons had been employed for eight months, and entered the building immediately. Fitzsimmons's supervisor told them that he hadn't shown up for work all week.

"What can you tell us about his him?"

"Not much really. He's a good employee. This not showing up is very much out of character for him. He always does his job and never creates any problems. His evaluations are positive as far as I remember. I can pull his file if you'd like."

"Please. Also what about his personal life?" Steve asked. "Does he have a wife or girlfriend? Anyone here he's especially close with?"

"I don't really know anything about his personal life. He was quiet. Kept pretty much to himself. I don't think he had any close friends here but please feel free to ask around."

"Thanks, we will."

Steve and Grover talked to the people who worked closest to Jack Fitzsimmons but none of them had much to say about him. They said he was quiet, a bit of a loner but always friendly. None of them knew anything about his personal life.

"Dammit," Steve said angrily as they exited the building.

"We have a name now, Steve. It's a small island. He can't hide forever," Grover pointed out.

"You're right. I just wanna get this guy off the street. If he's the one who committed these murders … he needs to be locked up as soon as possible."

"Agreed."

"Hopefully Danny and Chin had better luck."

"Here's hoping," Grover said.

* * *

**Apartment of Jack Fitzsimmons**

**Wednesday Noon**

Danny and Chin, weapons drawn, cleared the third floor apartment rented to Jack Fitzsimmons room by room, finally arriving almost simultaneously outside a closed door in the back.

Danny tried the knob. It was locked.

He called to anyone who might be inside.

"Five-O. Open the door."

No response.

"Open the door or I'm gonna break it down."

Still no response.

He looked at Chin, who nodded in silent acknowledgement, then kicked open the door. They entered, weapons up, and saw immediately that the room was unoccupied.

Their mouths dropped, however, once they had a minute to take in their surroundings.

Every flat surface was covered by what appeared to be discarded water bottles, paper food dishes, empty lipstick containers and crumpled trash bags. Every inch of the walls were covered with pictures, the subject of which was clearly unaware she was being photographed.

Hundreds of pictures.

One subject.

One very familiar subject.

Catherine Rollins.

"We gotta get Steve over here right away," Danny said, his voice tight. "And find Catherine now."

* * *

_If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games. _


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thank you all so much for the incredible reviews. You were all so kind that I'm actually giving you another double chapter today. To make up the difference I wrote several new scenes for Chapter 5. I am so inspired by writing with Mari and ilna in The Real World universe that apparently I can't stop adding to fics even when I think they're complete. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!**_

**Obsession**

_**Apartment of Jack Fitzsimmons**_

_**Wednesday 12:40 P.M.**_

Danny was pacing nervously in front of the apartment building where Jack Fitzsimmons lived, under the awning in an effort to escape the continuing rain, when his partner's blue Silverado pulled up and took a space close to the door. As Steve got out and jogged towards him Danny took a deep breath and fortified himself for what he was about to do.

He had spent the last half hour rehearsing various ways of breaking the news to Steve that Jack Fitzsimmons was not only a suspect in the brutal slaughter in the warehouse but he was apparently also the man who had been sending Catherine gifts. And that on top of that had been following her all over the island taking her picture without her knowledge.

The revelation had chilled Danny to the bone. There was no doubt in his mind its effect on his best friend would be a hundred times worse.

"What'd you find?" Steve asked as her shook off the raindrops. Danny opened his mouth to speak but then realized there no words that could soften the news. Steve simply had to see for himself.

Steve could tell by Danny's reaction to the question, the way his face stayed tight and without a hint of a smile, the way his partner couldn't quite meet his eyes, that something was very wrong. "Danny?"

"You're gonna have to see it." Danny turned on his heels and started into the building without another word. Steve followed with a growing sense of unease. It was a never a good sign when Danny had nothing to say.

"What is it?" Steve tried again.

"It's just … I can't … It's really best if you see for yourself."

They entered the building and crossed the carpeted floor of the lobby in silence. Danny pressed the up button on the elevator and stared at the doors, waiting. His posture was stiff and his gaze was focused forward, not glancing at his curious partner to his right.

Finally Steve couldn't stand the silence any longer.

"What's going on, Danny? What'd you find?" he asked impatiently.

The elevator doors opened and the two men stepped in. Danny pressed the button for the third floor and waited until the doors closed before continuing.

"Nothing to do with the murders … well at least not at first glance … but we may have found some information on … well on … something else we've been dealing with."

"Why are you talking in riddles all the sudden?"

"I told you, Steve," Danny said in a clipped tone. "You need to see it."

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. The two men stepped out and crossed the hall to the doorway of Fitzsimmons' apartment. Danny paused with his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath.

"You need to promise me you're going to keep your head. That you won't go all SEAL crazy."

"Danny …" Steve couldn't imagine what could be in that apartment causing this kind of reaction from his partner.

"I'm serious, Steve."

Something in Danny's tone told Steve that they weren't going anywhere until he agreed. At this point he just wanted to get inside and see what had Danny so rattled.

"Ok. You have my word. I'll keep my head."

"Ok. Good. Just remember you said that."

Steve followed Danny through the apartment, taking notice of the fact that it was very clean, almost unnaturally so. There wasn't an item out of place. The magazines on the coffee table were perfectly aligned and the books on the shelves were arranged by height.

When they reached the room in the back Danny took one last look at his best friend then opened the door and stepped in. Steve followed.

A second later Danny heard an audible gasp from behind him. He turned around, bracing himself for Steve's reaction.

"What the…." Steve stood frozen in place, his spine straight, his jaw clenched, as he looked around in disbelief. His head turned as though on a swivel. Danny could hear his heavy controlled breathing from five feet away.

Steve walked very slowly and deliberately towards the far wall, taking it all in.

"This guy has been … how did he … "

Danny stood back and gave Steve a minute to process what he was seeing.

Steve studied the pictures one by one, trying to ascertain when and where each one was taken. "Are you saying this guy is the one who's been sending Catherine all the … the flowers … and the balloons …"

"It looks that way," Danny said as calmly as he possibly could. He knew he needed to stay in control for both Steve's sake and Catherine's.

Steve pulled out his phone without taking his eyes off the wall of pictures.

"Who are you calling?"

"Catherine."

"Don't … wait … we've got this, Steve. Chin is on his way to pick her up her right now. She's still at HPD. She's safe."

"You're sure?" Steve spun towards Danny.

"Yes."

"Tell me you're positive, Danny." Steve's tone and demeanor were deadly calm but Danny knew his partner was anything but. He was seconds away from exploding.

"I'm positive." Danny said confidently, though his assurance didn't make Steve relax at all. "Besides, this is something you … we … need to talk to her about face to face. Telling her over the phone … let's not do that. You need a few minutes to … get your thoughts together before you tell her anything."

"I'm fine." Steve insisted.

"You are the exact opposite of fine."

"You're sure someone we trust has eyes on her?" Steve demanded.

"Yes. Chin's meeting her at HPD. He called and asked her not to leave till he gets there. Then he called Duke and asked him to make sure Catherine stays in the building. He's gonna take her back to HQ and meet us there."

"She doesn't know about any of this?"

"Not yet. Chin's not gonna say anything till we get there."

Steve continued to stare unblinking at the pictured covering the walls. "How did this guy even … I mean has he even ever met … has he ever had any contact with Catherine?"

"I don't know. Chin's gonna pull a driver's license photo as soon as he gets back to the office. We can show it to Catherine … see if she knows the guy."

Something caught Steve's eye and he moved towards the desk in the corner of the room. He reached out slowly towards an item lying on top of a pile of what appeared to be trash.

Suddenly the air in the room was even more charged with tension. Danny could see his partner's shoulders tense and his fist clench.

When Steve turned back towards Danny, his jaw clamped tightly, his face a mask of rage, he held a small, dented white pastry box with Rita's Sweet Shoppe printed on the lid. Danny stepped closer and saw the name S. McGarrett scrawled on the top in black marker.

"What?" Danny asked.

"This guy has been to our house," Steve spat out angrily. "He's gone through our trash."

"How do you know?"

"This … I threw it in the garbage myself. At home."

Danny's stomach dropped. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I called Rita's last week and ordered Catherine one of her favorite red velvet cupcakes. I knew the Terriaga case had been a tough one for her and I wanted to get her a little treat." Steve's voice was rising with every word. "When I got there it was waiting for me." He thrust the container towards his partner. "My name was written on the lid. See?"

Danny's own jaw tightened as the implications of what Steve was saying became clear.

"I threw this is the garbage when I put the cupcake on a plate to surprise her. This guy has to have been to our house."

"Steve, we'll get him." Danny put a calming hand on Steve's forearm.

"Damn right we will. Do you have pictures of all this?"

"Yes."

"Then let's let CSU handle cataloging it all. I want to get back to HQ and see Catherine."

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Wednesday 1:30 P.M.**_

Steve strode quickly into headquarters with Danny close behind and immediately called for Catherine. He wasn't going to be satisfied until he saw for himself that she was safe.

"Catherine!"

He tried with limited success to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Catherine!"

"I'm here," she said with a smile as she walked out of Chin's office. "What's going on? Chin hasn't let me out of his sight since he came and got me at HPD. "

Steve crossed to where she was standing in three long strides and wrapped her in his arms. He hugged her tightly, uncharacteristic behavior for the office, and kissed the top of her head.

Catherine pulled back and gave him a questioning look when she heard his heart pounding in his chest. "Steve, what's going on?

She looked past him to Danny and Chin who both wore grim expressions.

"Are you ok?" Steve asked, looking her over.

"I'm fine." Catherine tried desperately to get a feel for what was going on and why all three men were acting so strange.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she assured him, "except for the fact that you're scaring me."

Steve gave her another quick hug then took her hand and tugged her towards the smart table where Danny was uploading the pictures he'd taken at Fitzsimmons' apartment.

"Jack Fitzsimmons," he said tightly as Chin swiped his picture up onto the overhead screen. "Have you ever met him?"

Catherine studied the picture. "Not that I know of."

"Think carefully. Have you had any contact with him at all?"

"Not that I remember." Catherine looked at Steve. "What's this about?"

"This is important, Cath," Steve said urgently. "Look closely. Do you know him from anywhere? Maybe not even work. Have you seen him around? At the gym? When you go running?"

Catherine looked again. She could feel the tension rolling off Steve in waves and knew that for some reason this was important to him.

"I really don't think I've ever met him," she said again.

Steve looked at Danny and Danny began to swipe the pictures he'd taken in the back room of Jack Fitzsimmons' apartment up on to the overheads.

Catherine looked at the screens. Her mouth dropped open. She froze for a minute, and then swayed slightly. Steve reached out his hand to steady her then took a step closer to offer a higher level of support, both physical and emotional.

"What … " she looked from Steve to Danny to Chin with a questioning look. "What is this?"

"The back room in Fitzsimmons' apartment." Danny stuck to the basics, not wanting to overload her with info until she'd had a few minutes to wrap her mind around what she was seeing. "This is exactly how Chin and I found it."

Catherine looked back to the screens and stared in disbelief. Her posture was rigid and she was taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth to try to stay calm. "Why has he been taking pictures of me?"

"We don't know," Danny answered honestly. "It looks like he's been stalking you for quite a while."

"How many pictures are there?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Hundreds," Steve said solemnly. "But it's not just the pictures, Cath."

"What do you mean?" her eyes remained glued to the screens.

"He's been to our house."

Catherine's head snapped towards her Steve, eyes wide. "What?"

"I found the Rita's box from last week's cupcake in his apartment. He had to have taken it out of our trash can."

"Are you sure it was our box?"

"It had my name on top."

"What's going on here?" Catherine asked as her eyes were drawn back to the screen.

"I don't know," Steve said tightly. "But I'm not gonna rest till I find out."

Despite the gravity of the situation Catherine had to smile slightly at the determination in his words. That was her Steve. And she had doubt he would do exactly that.

"In the meantime, Catherine," he reached out, took her hand and squeezed it, "you go absolutely nowhere alone until we get Fitzsimmons in custody."

"Steve," Catherine started to protest.

"No," he cut her off with a tone that made it very clear he was not negotiating on this matter. "I know you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself but this guy is bad news. Are you forgetting the three mutilated bodies in the warehouse?"

Catherine opened her mouth to object then quickly decided against it.

"No," she acquiesced.

"This isn't about me being over-protective. This is about me," Steve pointed to Danny and Chin, "us … being smart. This guy is obsessed with you. So until we have him locked up you're with me or Danny or Chin or Kono when she gets back. And I'm gonna talk to Duke about getting around the clock protection from an HPD team as well."

Catherine looked again at the pictures from Fitzsimmons' apartment and the implication of what they meant hit her like a ton of bricks. "Okay."

Steve squeezed her hand again. "I mean it, Catherine. I'm serious about this."

Their eyes locked and she could see his fear for her safety reflected there. "I know you are."

"Alright," Chin said, "I'm gonna tear this guy's life apart brick by brick. By the time I'm done we'll know everything there is to know about Jack Fitzsimmons."

"Thanks, Chin." Steve's eyes were drawn back to the pictures on the screens. There was something about them that bothered him but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"I'm gonna check in with Charlie and see if there's anything in the stuff we found at the apartment to give us a clue as to where this guy might be," Danny said, needing to feel like he was doing something productive.

"I guess I'll go search my files to see if I ever came in contact with this guy that I don't remember," Catherine said, taking one last look at the pictures before turning her back to them.

"Check your Navy Intel records as well," Steve suggested.

"Ok but that might take a while."

"Take as long as you need." Steve pulled her into another hug that she gratefully returned. "Will you be ok without me for a little bit?"

"I'll be fine. But where are you going?" she asked.

"I wanna go over to HPD and pull everything they have on Jack Fitzsimmons and any accomplices he might have," Steve said, moving into planning mode. "I'm not waiting for them to do it. I want the files now." He pulled back, leaving his arms around her waist. "I'll be back as soon as I can. If you find anything, or if you need anything at all while I'm gone, call me."

"I will," she assured him.

"I want you to stay here until I get back. Chin will be here … "

"I won't go anywhere. I promise."

"Thank you. That's all I ask." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, letting his lips linger for a few seconds, then pulled back and headed for the door. "I'll be back before you know it."

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Friday Noon**_

Over the last two days the team had talked to everyone they could identify who had known, or had any contact with, Jack Fitzsimmons since his arrival on the island. They re-interviewed his boss and his co-workers. They talked to his landlord and his neighbors. They found out that he was a regular churchgoer and they talked to his minister and members of the congregation where he attended services weekly. Absolutely no one had anything negative to say about the man who had been a newcomer to the island, arriving only a year before.

He was described as quiet, kind, helpful, loyal. No one interviewed had even the slightest hint that something so dark was lurking inside him.

The team went through HPD's records with a fine toothed comb looking for any contact Jack Fitzsimmons may have had with local law enforcement. As far as they could tell there was only one interaction and it was a strange one.

He had walked into the police station and attempted to file a report of a burglary. He said that nothing was missing from his apartment but he could tell that someone has been in there because things were moved around. The officer on duty took the report and told him to call back if anything else happened but there was really nothing they could do about the situation he described.

Danny contacted authorities in New Mexico, where Fitzsimmons had lived previously, and asked for any information they might have that could help with the case. Local law enforcement had no records of contact with him at aside from a few parking citations.

He had worked for 8 years at a company called McPherson Manufacturing. His boss told Danny during a phone interview that not only had Fitzsimmons not been a discipline problem on the job, the man had been sorry to see him go. Fitzsimmons was one of the best, most reliable employees he'd ever had. He promised to send along Fitzsimmons' employment records but assured Danny he wouldn't find anything amiss.

To this point they had found absolutely nothing that would indicate this man would be involved in either something as gruesome as murder or as sinister as stalking.

Everywhere Catherine went someone was with her. She understood why Steve, and the entire team, was so worried but she was feeling stifled. She had gone over and over her files looking for any place where her path might have crossed with Jack Fitzsimmons.

She couldn't find anything.

She wanted a break.

"Hey Steve," she said as she poked her head into his office. "I need to go pick up a few things."

"Who's going with you? I'm waiting for a call from Max but I can take it in the car if you need me to go," he offered, looking up.

"I'm just making a quick run to the drug store," Catherine sighed. "I'll be fine. It's broad daylight."

"I don't care," Steve said definitively. "You're not going anywhere alone. We have no idea where Fitzsimmons is and until we do you need to have someone with you at all times."

"I need to go to the drugstore to pick up some personal items," Catherine said testily. "Kono isn't here and I don't really feel like asking anyone else to trail along while I pick up tampons and birth control pills."

"If you don't want one of us to go with you call HPD and ask them to send over a unit."

"Are you kidding me?" Catherine's voice elevated. "I can make a simple run to the drugstore."

"You can, yes, but you aren't going to. At least not alone."

"I've had just about enough of this. I'm going to the drugstore. Alone."

"No, you're not." Steve tried to remain calm but his voice was rising to match hers. He knew she was frustrated. He understood she felt smothered. But he wasn't willing to take any chances with her safety.

Danny heard the raised voices in Steve's office and headed in that direction. Catherine had been growing increasingly frustrated with her constant protection detail and Danny knew it was just a matter of time till her emotions boiled over.

"Hey, what's going on," he said as he entered, trying to ignore the tension that was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Nothing," Catherine said, lowering her voice as she realized Danny had heard her angry words.

"Catherine wants to go the drugstore by herself." Steve ratted her out.

"That's a bad idea," Danny said, turning to Catherine.

"Sure, take his side." Catherine came dangerously close to a pout, which was a sure indicator of just how tired and frustrated she was.

Catherine was not a pouter.

"I'm not taking anyone's side. I'm thinking of your safety," Danny said firmly.

Steve and Catherine stared at one another, each digging in their heels.

Danny decided to take control before things got any worse. "I'm heading out to pick up some lunch. We can carpool."

"I guess I have no choice," Catherine said angrily. "I'll grab my purse."

She left Steve's office and headed for her own.

"She's a little testy," Danny said.

"She'll get over it." Steve watched her until she disappeared into her own office.

"You need to try to see her side here, Steve. She didn't do anything wrong … but she feels like she's the one being punished."

"I know," Steve acknowledged.

"She's used to being the one doing the protecting; not the one being protected."

Steve sighed. "I'm not giving in here, Danny. This is about her life."

"I get that. And you know what … deep down she gets that. But it doesn't make it any easier."

"I'm sorry. I know she hates this. But we can't let our guard down."

"I agree. I've got your back on this."

"Thanks.

"All I'm saying is … you might want to be a little more … let's say sensitive … to where Catherine is coming from."

"So you're saying I owe her an apology?" Steve winced slightly.

"A little one, yes."

"Do you want me to go with her?"

"No, I'll go." Danny smirked. "I need to give her the 'he's just worried about you' version of the speech."

Steve smiled. "You missed your calling. You should have been a mediator."

"It's never too late," Danny grinned. "I bet they get shot at less often."

"Maybe, but you'd miss me too much."

"If you say so."

Danny looked up and saw Catherine waiting by the door, purse over her shoulder, arms crossed over her chest.

"OK, we're outta here. Wish me luck. I won't let her out of my sight. I promise."

"Thanks, Danny. Really."

"Any time. Somebody has to keep you from screwing things up with the best thing that ever happened to you."

Steve smiled as Danny went out to meet Catherine. He watched from his desk as the two of them left then picked up his phone and made a quick call.

* * *

_**Danny's Camaro**_

_**En route to CVS **_

_**Friday 12:15 P.M**_**.**

Danny drove the streets in silence, letting Catherine stew for a few minutes so she could burn off some of her anger. She sat in the passenger's seat, staring out the windshield, arms crossed over her chest, purse in her lap, frowning.

Danny knew her anger was misdirected. Catherine took a tremendous amount of pride in being able to take care of herself. Steve took that same level of pride and had no doubt that in most situations she could handle herself against any enemy. Danny knew the same, as did everyone on the team. But this situation was different. They'd all seen the carnage inside that warehouse. And if the man who had anything to do with that was after Catherine, there was no way Steve, or any of them, were willing to take any chances.

"I know you hate this." Danny broke the silence.

"But I have no say in anything anymore so who cares," Catherine snotted.

Danny smiled. "Wow."

"What?" Catherine turned her head to look at him and if looks could kill …

"You've been spending too much time with Grace."

"What are you talking about?"

"You sounded just like her there for a minute. Of course she's 11 so a certain amount of 'life isn't fair' is to be expected from her."

"Very funny." Catherine went back to staring out the window but couldn't hide the small smile on her face as she turned her head.

Danny was happy to see that she had at least stopped clutching her purse strap and was beginning to relax just a little.

He decided to make his pitch.

"He's just worried you know. I don't blame him."

"I can take care of myself," Catherine insisted.

"There were three men in that warehouse, Catherine. You saw what happened to them. I know you're the Ramboette but … no offense … whatever did that to them … you couldn't stop by yourself."

Catherine looked at him and huffed.

"Do I have to put you in a time out, young lady?" He raised his eyebrows and she laughed out loud.

"Don't make me laugh. I'm trying to be mad."

"No, you're not."

"I'm not?"

"Nope. You're frustrated. And tired. And stressed. And maybe a little scared. And all of that is building up inside you and coming out as anger at Steve."

Catherine breathed out loudly. "You know what I hate most right now?"

"What?"

She sighed. "That you're absolutely right."

Danny barked with laughter. "Well that doesn't happen often so let me enjoy it."

Catherine smiled.

"Seriously, Catherine. You didn't see him."

"When?"

"When he walked into that room and saw all those pictures. I've never seen him like that. Never."

"What do you mean?" Catherine knew this situation was hard on Steve. In some ways probably harder than it was on her.

"He was terrified. And then once he realized the guy had been to your house? All he could think of was getting to you and making sure you were ok."

"I guess I owe him an apology."

"A little one maybe."

"Sure take his side," Catherine teased.

"I'm not taking anyone's side. But just … it could be worse."

"How?"

"Frankly for a while there I thought he was gonna take you into protective custody and lock you in the blue room. Just insisting you always have someone with you … that's actually pretty restrained for him."

Catherine smiled and nodded.

"There's nothing he won't do to protect you, Catherine. If it makes you angry he can live with that as long as it also makes you safe. And I gotta say … in this particular case … and I'll deny it if you tell him I said this … I think he's doing all the right things."

"Is that why there's an unmarked HPD car following us?"

"You noticed that, huh?"

"Yes."

"Should we pretend you didn't?"

"That'd probably be best."

"Ok," Danny said as he turned into the CVS parking lot. "I'd appreciate it if we could spend as little time as possible in the feminine hygiene aisle. It makes me very nervous."

"Sorry, Danny. If I'm not allowed to misdirect my anger at Steve anymore you're next on the list. Prepare to learn more than you ever wanted to know about tampons."

* * *

_**McGarrett/Rollins Household**_

_**Friday 11:30 P.M.**_

"How you holdin up?" Steve asked as Catherine exited the bathroom, turned off the lights and slipped into bed. They hadn't had much time to talk since their sharp words in the office earlier in the day. By the time Catherine and Danny returned with lunch Steve had been called over to HPD. Their paths crossed a couple of times over the rest of the afternoon but they hadn't exchanged more than a few quick words.

Steve knew that all the extra security was wearing on Catherine's nerves but he was adamant that it was necessary to keep her safe.

"I'm good," she sighed. He held out his arms and she went into them happily. "I'm just … ready for this all to be over, ya know?"

"I know," he said as he ran his hands down her back in a soothing motion and kissed her on the top of the head. "I know you hate this, Cath, but I'm not taking any chances with your safety."

"I appreciate that." She put her head on his shoulder and curled more tightly into his side. "And it's been pointed out to me that I may have been misdirecting my anger a little earlier." She raised her head and looked him in the eyes. She could see the emotion clearly, reflected in the light coming in through the bedroom window. "I'm sorry I was pissy with you."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not. I was angry at the situation and at Fitzsimmons for putting me in this position and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. But I owe you one too. I'm sorry if I was dismissive of your feelings. I didn't mean to be. I just can't even think about … please … I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you."

Catherine placed her hand over his heart, looked into his face and kissed him slowly but soundly. She pulled back slightly. "I appreciate your concern, Steve. Even if I don't always show it."

Steve kissed her again, more intensely this time. Between kisses he said, "Promise me you won't slip out alone … no matter how tempting it might be. Please."

"I promise," Catherine said, rolling onto her back and pulling Steve on top of her. "Now why don't we take our minds off things for a while?"

"I like the way you think, Lieutenant."

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Saturday 10:05 A.M.**_

"I just don't get it," Steve said, the frustration evident in his voice as he looked over all the information that had been gathered on Jack Fitzsimmons which was currently displayed on the overhead screens. "There is absolutely nothing in this guy's history that indicates he could be a stalker … let alone a murderer. How did a man capable of participating in this," Steve pointed to a crime scene photo from the warehouse, "manage to fly under the radar up until now?"

"I have no idea." Danny was equally as baffled. "He has a good education, solid work history, stable living situation for the last 15 years. No history of arrests or problems of any kind with the law."

"I just got the copy of his employment file that his old boss in New Mexico sent along with his family medical records," Chin said as he crossed to the smart table. "It says exactly what the boss told Danny over the phone. Fitzsimmons was a good worker, rarely missed a day, never had any discipline problems."

"Anything in there about what made him decide to pick up and move to Hawaii?"

"Apparently he was the sole caretaker for his elderly parents. They died about a month apart two years ago. Left him all their assets."

"Anything suspicious about their deaths?"

"According to the doctor who was taking care of them Jack Fitzsimmons was a loving son who went above and beyond. Refused to put his parents in a home. Worked extra hours to pay for nurses to take care of them while he worked and when he wasn't working he spent every minute with them. Both of them died of natural causes."

"Girlfriends?" Steve asked.

"I'm still working on that," Chin responded.

"Maybe the death of his parents made him snap," Danny offered.

"Maybe," Steve said doubtfully. "But that'd be a heck of a snap."

Steve picked up a still picture taken from the surveillance camera inside the HPD bullpen. It was taken the day Jack Fitzsimmons had gone in to report that he believed he had been the victim of a break in. He'd said that nothing was missing but he could "just tell" that someone had been in his house. Thinking back to the immaculate state of the apartment he'd noticed the one time he was in it, Steve could believe this guy would know if any little thing was moved.

HPD took the report but there was very little if anything they could do to help. Steve wondered what it was Fitzsimmons was up to with that visit. Was there something he'd been trying to test about the HPD procedure? And if so, why hadn't he at least made up a story about something being stolen?

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of his phone.

"McGarrett," he answered. Suddenly his whole demeanor changed. "Are you sure? How many places on the island? That's great work, Charlie. Thanks. Can you send me the address?"

"Finally," Steve said as he looked at happily at Danny. "We caught a break. Charlie identified the paper some of the pictures of Catherine were printed on. He said it's a specialized brand. Only sold one place on the island."

"What are we waiting for?" Danny said as he stood up. "Let's go find out if they can tell us anything to help us find Fitzsimmons."

"Chin, keep digging on the girlfriend angle. Maybe there's something there that made him go off the deep end," Steve said as he and Danny headed for the door. "We'll let you know if we find anything out. Oh, and can you send that picture of Fitzsimmons inside HPD to my phone in case we need it to use it for identification? Thanks."

Chin headed for the smart table as Danny and Steve rushed out the door.

* * *

_**Danny Williams' Camaro**_

_**En route to Specialty Paper**_

_**Saturday 10:20 A.M.**_

As Steve and Danny pulled out of the parking lot and headed across the island the rain started yet again. Steve turned on the wipers, punched Specialty Paper in Honolulu into the GPS then dialed Catherine's cell phone. She'd taken the morning off for a dentist's appointment, under the watchful eye of a pair of HPD officers, and he wasn't sure if she was heading back to the office or not.

"Hi," she answered with a smile.

"Hi yourself," he said. "Where are you?"

"I'm home. I'm waiting for the Novocain to wear off before I head back to work. Where are you?"

"Who's with you?" Steve was instantly concerned.

"Calm down, Steve. I remember the rules. Officer Barnes is right here beside me and her partner is sitting out front in a patrol car.

"Ok, good. Danny and I are following up a lead and if it pans out you may not have to put up with all this extra security for much longer."

"Really?" Catherine asked hopefully.

"Really. Charlie figured out where Fitzsimmons bought some of the paper he printed the pictures he took of you on. It's a very specific brand only sold at one place on the island. Danny and I are headed there now to see if we can get a lead on where he might have been developing the pictures or having them developed. That might give us a clue as to where he is now."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed. I'm tired of feeling like a prisoner. I'm ready for things to get back to normal."

"I know you are. I am too. I'll let you know as soon as we find anything out."

"Ok, call me when you're on your way back."

"Will do."

* * *

_**McGarrett/Rollins House**_

_**Saturday 10:25 A.M.**_

"Good news?" Officer Barnes asked as Catherine disconnected the call.

"Steve said they may have a lead on Fitzsimmons."

"Really? That's great!"

"I know," Catherine said with relief. "No offense, because you've been great company, but I can't wait to get back to my regular life and not have to feel like I'm being watched over every second."

"I can imagine," Abbey said sympathetically. "What kind of information did they get on the guy?"

"Apparently some of the paper he used to print the photos he took was extremely rare, at least here on the island."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They got a possible lead on where he bought it and they're hoping something there may be able to lead them to him."

"That'd be great," Abbey said. "I'm sure you're relieved."

"I will be as soon as Steve calls back and says they got him."

* * *

_**Danny Williams' Camaro**_

_**En route to Specialty Paper**_

_**Saturday 10:50 A.M.**_

As Steve made his way towards the paper store Danny flipped through the list that Charlie had sent him of pictures that had been printed on the specific paper in question.

"We may be in luck," he said.

"How so?"

"It looks like all of the pictures printed on this new paper were taken recently. I can tell because in several of them Catherine is wearing the necklace Grace picked out as thank you present for helping with her Social Studies project. So they had to have been taken within the last month."

Suddenly the thing that had been bothering Steve about the pictures all along came into sharp focus.

"Dammit," he said as he pounded his hand on the steering wheel.

Danny's head snapped towards his partner. "What?"

"Remember I said there was something that was bothering me about those pictures?"

"Yes. But I just assumed it was … you know … the existence of the pictures … and the thought of someone following Catherine around taking them … that was bothering you."

"Yes, that. But there was something else and now I know what it is."

"Are you gonna share?"

"You said Fitzsimmons has only been on the island for a year, right?"

"Right."

"In some of those pictures Catherine's hair was shorter, like it was when she first came back from the Gulf, but that was two years ago. "

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I know Catherine's hair."

"So he … where did he first see her? Was he here stalking her before he … when he still lived in New Mexico? Do you think he moved all this way just to be closer to her?"

"I don't know," Steve pulled into the parking lot of Specialty Paper and cut the engine, "Let's find him and ask him."

* * *

_**Specialty Paper**_

_**Honolulu**_

_**Saturday 11:05 A.M.**_

Steve and Danny entered the store, bypassed the endless rows holding every kind of paper imaginable, and went immediately to the counter. The man who turned to greet them with a smile was tall and tan, muscular build, looked like he did a lot of surfing in his spare time. If Steve had to take a guess he would say the man grew up on the island. He wore a nametag that identified himself as the Jeff West, Store Manager.

"Raining again, huh?" the man said jovially.

"Yeah. I'm Steve McGarrett; this is my partner Danny Williams. We're with Five-0. We want to ask you a few questions about some specialty photo paper you sold recently."

"Sure. I'll help if I can." Jeff smiled brightly, a skill honed over many years of working in retail.

"We're told you're the only place on the island that sells the new X5100 Hi-Def photo paper," Steve said.

"So far we are," Jeff answered proudly.

"Do you sell a lot of it?"

"Not yet. It's pretty expensive. But demand for it is starting to pick up."

"How much have you sold lately?" Steve continued to pepper Jeff with questions.

"I'd have to check the records but probably a couple of boxes."

"Could you identify the people you've sold it to?"

"Probably. Most of our customers are regulars."

Steve flipped through some pictures on his phone until he came to the one Chin had sent while they were on their way, taken of Fitzsimmons at HPD. "Do you remember selling any to the person in this picture?"

Steve held out his phone so the manager could see it.

Jeff West studied the picture carefully. "Yes. I remember making the sale myself."

Danny jumped in. "This guy is very dangerous and we need to get him off the streets as soon as possible. Do you have any information at all about where we can find him?"

The manager looked at Steve and Danny, confusion all over his face. "I'm sorry, there must be some mistake."

"I thought you said you sold this man the paper." Steve tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Yes … I mean no … I didn't sell the paper to the man in the picture. I sold it to the woman."

Steve lifted the phone immediately and looked at the picture. "Point to her."

The manager pointed to the officer standing directly to the left of Jack Fitzsimmons.

Officer Abbey Barnes.

"No, no, no, no," Steve said as he frantically dialed Catherine's number and held the phone to his ear. "Voicemail," he said as he hung up and redialed.

Danny dialed Chin. "Where are you?" he demanded when Chin answered.

"At the office, why?"

"Get to Steve's house right away. Catherine's in trouble."

* * *

_**Gold star for forestbornninjagirl :-)**_

_If you are not on the REALMcRoll email list and would like to be, drop us an email at realmcroll at yahoo dot com with "Add me, please!" in the subject line. You'll get updates, contests, and fun McRoller games. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**You guys are AWESOME. Thanks so much for coming along with Mari, ilna and me on this new adventure in the REAL 've all been so great I'm giving you another long chapter today. Luckily I added 6 pages to the final chapter as well so it should all come out even in the end.**_

* * *

**Obsession**

_**McGarrett/Rollins House**_

_**Saturday 11:05 A.M.**_

Catherine tried not to get her hopes up that this new information might help them find Fitzsimmons and allow her to get her life back to normal, without constantly having someone with her for protection, but she couldn't help feeling optimistic. The anticipation she'd heard in Steve's voice over the phone, the hope he had that this lead might actually get them close to finding the man who'd been stalking her, was hard to ignore. She glanced at her watch. If this all worked out the way she hoped she was going to suggest they have everyone over for a celebratory barbecue.

"Hopefully Steve and Danny will have some good news for us soon," she said to Abbey, feeling lighter than she had since she first saw the pictures of the back room in Fitzsimmons' apartment. "Would you like a cup of tea while we wait?"

"Sure, sounds great. Do you need any help?"

"No, I got it. You can stay here and relax. I'll be right in the next room."

Catherine went into the kitchen, put the kettle on the stove, pulled two mugs from the cupboard and set about making the tea.

"If we haven't heard from Steve by the time we're done with our tea we can head back to the office and meet them there," she called to Abbey.

"Whatever you want," came the reply from the living room.

As Catherine opened the refrigerator to get milk for the tea she sensed movement behind her.

"Oh, Abbey, you startled me," she said as she turned towards the noise. "Do you take honey or lemon in … "

In a split second Abbey covered her mouth with a chloroform soaked rag and everything in Catherine's world went black.

* * *

_**McGarrett/Rollins House**_

_**Saturday 11:35 A.M.**_

Steve sped up to the house, lights and sirens going, threw the car in park, cut the engine and jumped out. Danny was out of the passenger's side equally as quickly. The first thing they saw was Officer Jackson, Abbey's partner, being loaded into an ambulance with a large chest wound. They could tell by the frantic way the paramedics were working that the fallen officer was in bad shape. They dodged the medical team, not wanting to interfere with their work in any way, and headed up the sidewalk as the rain poured down.

Steve tore through the front door, Danny on his heels and stopped short when he found Chin descending the stairs with a grim look on his face.

Chin had rushed to the house immediately after getting the call from Danny, praying the whole way that he would be in time to help Catherine. As he drove his mind flashed back to the many times he'd seen her fight her way out of a bad situation. But at the same time he couldn't get the images of the three mangled bodies in the warehouse out of his head. He prayed he didn't find a similar scene at Steve and Catherine's house.

He arrived at virtually the same time as the paramedics, who had also been summoned by Danny just in case. As he jumped out of his car he was joined by several HPD officers who had arrived as back up. He entered the house, frantically calling Catherine's name, hoping he'd hear her call back.

But he was met with silence.

They checked every room.

The house was empty.

Chin held tight to the things he knew for certain about Catherine. She was smart and she was strong and she was mentally tough. She would do everything possible to keep herself alive until the team had a chance to find her. He dreaded breaking the news to Steve but he breathed a sigh of relief that at least there was still hope that she was out there somewhere.

"Tell me," Steve demanded.

"There's no sign of either Abbey or Catherine."

"Dammit," Steve snapped. His fists clenched and he wanted nothing more than to punch something, even if was just a wall. But the voice inside his head, the one honed by years of relentless training, was screaming for him to focus. That losing it now was the worst thing he could do. That he had to stay calm to help Catherine. "Any signs of a struggle?"

"There's blood on the kitchen floor," Chin replied.

Steve's breath caught in his throat.

"No, Steve, listen, "Chin said. "There's a broken coffee mug too with blood on one of the pieces. Looks like that may be the source of the injury. CSU took a sample. I told them to rush the results. Other than that … nothing unusual."

Steve walked quickly to the kitchen, eyes scanning for anything out of place on his way and finding nothing. As he cleared the doorway his gaze landed immediately on a small pool of blood on the floor in front of the refrigerator. Chin was right; there wasn't enough there to be from any kind of catastrophic wound like a gun shot or a knife.

He was grateful for that much at least.

"Catherine's phone was on the counter," Chin held it up, "and her purse is on the table. Her keys are gone as is her car."

"Get out an ABP." Steve's mind was whirling but he knew there were certain things that needed to be done immediately. He needed every available eyeball on the island searching for Catherine and her car.

"Already done," Chin assured him. "Every officer on the island is looking for them, Steve."

"Helicopters?"

"They'll be in the air as soon as the weather breaks."

"Catherine's car should be easy to spot."

"I put a description out with the APB."

"I'll get you a picture of the car to circulate."

"That's a good idea," Danny jumped in. "What about the news stations. We need to get a picture of Catherine, the car, and Abbey out as soon as possible."

"I'll call them." Chin said. "But they're gonna want details about why … "

"Tell them to be at HQ in 30 minutes. I'll do the press conference myself."

"Are you sure, Steve?" Danny asked. "I know how you hate dealing with the press … "

"That's when they're asking about stupid things like being Oahu's Most Eligible Bachelor. This is different. I'll answer every one of their stupid questions if it means we can get the information out and find Catherine sooner."

Danny and Chin exchanged questioning looks. They knew that putting Steve in front of the cameras in his current emotional state was a gamble. But then again, maybe it was just what they needed to capture the public's attention and make sure all eyes were on the lookout for Catherine.

Danny nodded.

"I'll set it up," Chin said as he pulled out his phone and moved towards the back of the house.

"Dammit," Steve banged his hand on the wall.

"We'll find her, Steve." Danny said confidently. "But right now you can't lose your cool. Catherine needs you focused here."

"You're right. I need to know everything there is to know about Abbey Barnes." Steve switched into laser focused investigative mode. "Everything."

"I'll call Duke and have him pull every piece of info they have on her."

"I want her psych evals from the academy, her phone records, credit card records, school records. I want everything, Danny."

Steve breathed deeply through his mouth in an effort to keep his composure. His eyes shifted back towards the kitchen as he tried to keep his mind from spinning out scenarios of what might have happened.

"Steve," Danny touched his partner's arm. "There's nothing you can do here. Let's go ... let's get back to the office. I'll make some calls on the way and start getting the information you want. The most important thing now ... we need to concentrate on finding out where they might be."

Wordlessly, Steve turned and headed for the front door.

* * *

_**Danny Williams' Camaro**_

_**En route to Five-O HQ**_

_**Saturday 12:30 P.M.**_

How could I not have seen it?" Steve asked for the tenth time since they left the house and headed back to headquarters. He was gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were turning white. The rain was coming down harder making the roads dangerous.

"None of us saw it, Steve." Danny was trying desperately to keep his partner focused on the present and keep him from wasting time and energy on self-recriminations.

"She was so eager to get involved with Five-O. So eager to have Catherine mentor her. I should have seen something was off there."

"A lot of people are interested in advancing their careers, Steve. And a lot of young women would love to have Catherine help them along."

"Well it'll never happen again," Steve lashed out.

"Listen … I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now …but blaming yourself here … it isn't going to do anyone any good. We need to figure out what's going on and get Catherine back. We can worry about everything else after that."

"It's just … Danny … " Steve's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I asked Abbey Barnes to work on this case."

"At Catherine's request," Danny reminded him.

"I put her in close proximity to Catherine. Everything I've done over the last few days to keep her safe but then I delivered a monster right to our own door."

"Steve …"

"I thought she would be safe in our own home." Steve's voice cracked slightly. "She should have been able to feel safe in our home."

Danny choked up watching Steve try to keep his own emotions under control. "I know, Steve. But you have to stay positive. We're going to find her."

"We have to Danny. We have to."

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Saturday 2:00 P.M.**_

Steve stood behind the hastily erected podium in the lobby of Iolani Palace, away from the rain that just wouldn't seem to stop, Danny on one side and the Governor on the other, and laid out the facts as they knew them for the local press. He showed a picture of Catherine, of Abbey, and of Catherine's car. He asked every citizen to be on the lookout and to call if they saw anything the least bit suspicious.

He managed to keep his emotions under control as much as possible but Danny had no doubt that every person watching understood this was more to Commander McGarrett than just a missing officer. That his connection was far more personal than that. He answered a few general questions and promised to keep the press apprised of any new developments.

Immediately after wrapping things up Steve and Danny entered the Five-O suite of offices to find Grover and Chin already standing at the smart table, hard at work.

"What do we know?" Steve said brusquely, wasting no time.

"HPD sent over everything they have on Abbey Barnes." Chin pointed to her service records displayed on the overhead screens. "At first glance there's nothing unusual here."

Grover picked up the story. "She was born on the island. Raised in a two parent household. She was an only child."

"Her parents were killed in a car accident the day she graduated from the Police Academy," Chin said.

"She's single. Has lived in the same apartment for five years. There are no complaints in her HPD file."

"She took the report from Jack Fitzsimmons when he came in to report a burglary. Is there any connection between the two of them?" Steve asked.

"Duke's working on that right now. He's questioning every officer who ever worked with her. That's gonna take a little time."

"We may not have time," Steve said grimly.

"Duke understands what's at stake here, Steve," Chin assured him. "Abbey Barnes is one of his. He wants to help bring her in and get Catherine back safely."

"Phone records?" Danny asked.

"On the way," Grover answered. "Along with credit card records and bank records. The Governor is handling it himself."

"Good," Steve nodded. He stared at the records displayed on the screens hoping something would jump out at him.

"Kono called," Chin said, breaking Steve out of his reverie. "She's on her way back."

Steve nodded. "I appreciate it. Catherine will too."

"Adam said if there's anything at all he can do … "

"I'll let him know."

"Any leads on Jack Fitzsimmons?" Danny asked.

"Still nothing."

"He can't just have disappeared off the face of the earth," Steve said desperately.

"You're right. He can't," Grover said with determination. "My men and I are gonna hit the streets. Call me if you get a lead but in the meantime we're gonna start turning this island inside out."

"Thanks, Lou."

"My pleasure. I owe Catherine for saving Samantha when the bombers invaded her school. It's time for me to pay up."

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Saturday 2:30 P.M.**_

Abbey pulled the red Cruze around the back of the remote cabin deep in the thick forest. She was lucky that the gravel access road was still passable considering all the rain they'd had over the last week. As it was a trip that would have taken 45 minutes in dry weather had taken over twice that long.

She was grateful that the cabins on this side of the mountain were mostly deserted during the rainy season due to flooding concerns. The less people there were around for her to deal with the better.

Catherine was still unconscious on the back seat due to the effects of the initial dose of chloroform. Her wrists and ankles were shackled with handcuffs but Abbey knew she had to get the former Naval officer restrained with something stronger before she regained consciousness or she would have a problem on her hands.

Catherine was a fighter.

That much Abbey knew for sure.

She jumped out of the car, ran through the raindrops towards the back door on the lower level of the cabin that lead directly into the basement, unlocked it then returned to the car. She yanked open the rear door, pulled Catherine out and dragged her inside by the ankles. The muddy conditions made the footing slightly more treacherous but dragging the body much easier.

Abbey was satisfied with the tradeoff.

She hauled Catherine to the corner of the room and managed to get her hands and feet chained to bolts in the floor, placed there by the homeowner to secure equipment during a flood. She secured the chains with padlocks, the keys to which she dropped in her pocket.

"Abbey, what are you doing? What's going on?" Catherine asked frantically.

"Shhh. Everything's going to be fine."

"What … " Catherine struggled against her restraints.

"It's for your own good, Catherine."

"I don't understand … " Catherine started.

"Stop arguing with me," Abbey's eyes flashed with anger.

Without warning she slapped Catherine hard across the face, splitting her lip. Abbey froze, breathing heavily. "Now look what you made me do."

"Listen," Catherine said softly. She had no idea what had caused Abbey to snap but she needed to try to gain some control of the situation before the young officer unspooled completely. "I'm not sure what's going on here. But let's talk about it."

"We'll talk later," Abbey said. "Right now I have to figure some things out."

She began to pace back and forth splashing through the two inches of water covering the basement floor. She suddenly looked at Catherine, eyes wide. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I need a new plan. I'm so close now. I can't lose everything."

Abbey grabbed a heavy chain and padlock from a shelf over Catherine's head. She looped the chain through a bolt on the wall and then placed it around Catherine's neck and secured it with the padlock. Catherine recoiled. "No, please, I don't like things around my neck."

"Who does?" Abbey said But it can't be helped. Just stay still and you'll be fine."

"Abbey … I don't … please help me understand. What's going on? Do you know Jack Fitzsimmons?"

"So full of questions," Abbey huffed as she crossed the basement and sat on the bottom step of the staircase that lead upstairs, resting from the exertion of getting Catherine in to the cabin and chained up. She pulled the padlock keys out of her pocket and added them to ring that held the keys to the cabin. "Yes, I know Jack Fitzsimmons. We went out a couple of times."

"You went out with a murderer?" Catherine asked.

Abbey burst out laughing. "Jack Fitzsimmons is no murderer. Just the opposite. He's a dull little man who never harmed a fly."

"Then why do Steve and Danny think … "

"Because that's what I wanted them to think," Abbey sneered.

Catherine calmed her breathing and decided to try a different approach. "You said it wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"No, it wasn't. I had it all planned out."

"Had what planned out."

"I've been watching you for years. Since you arrived on the island really. Trying to figure out why you were the one who always got called in to help Five-O. Why Commander McGarrett came to you when he needed help instead of coming to HPD where I could have helped him. I could have made a name for myself. I could have gotten out of that crummy patrol car years ago."

"Why didn't you just approach Steve? Or Duke? They would have helped you." Catherine said as evenly as possible.

"No one wanted to help me. They all told me it would just take time. So I did what they suggested. I played the role of good little patrol officer. But I also studied you. To find out what makes you tick. And after you became a member of Five-O I was … well to tell you the truth I was furious."

"Abbey, I'm sorry…"

"No, you're not. You didn't care at all. How many times did I ask you to help me get a leg up?"

"And I did," Catherine defended. "I asked Steve to give you a chance."

"I want more than a chance. Now that you're leaving I want your spot on Five-O."

"Leaving? What makes you think I'm leaving?" Catherine asked.

"I read it online. You're going to Afghanistan. So that'll leave a space open at Five-O."

"Abbey," Catherine said emphatically. "That's a tv show. It's not real. I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, you are," Abbey insisted.

"I'm not," Catherine held firm. She was trying to control the situation and didn't want to upset Abbey any more than she already was but it wouldn't do anyone any good to indulge her in her fantasy. It was important to differentiate between the TV show and real life.

"You have to. I want your spot. I deserve your spot."

"Listen Abbey, I think you're just a little confused."

"I'm not confused." Abbey jumped to her feet and began pacing. "I had the perfect plan."

"Which was?"

"I knew I had to do something big to get Commander McGarrett's attention and show him what I could do. So I invented your stalker. I knew he'd pay close attention to that. I figured I had all the pictures and material I'd been gathering for two years; might as well put it to good use."

"But how were planning on … I mean who … " Catherine was still struggling to shake off the effects of the chloroform.

"I figured I could pin it all on good old Jack. He would've done anything to please me. Once I had everyone's attention I could produce the evidence needed to prove that Jack was the stalker. I'd kill him in a confrontation. To save you of course. No one would be the wiser. And I'd get your spot when you leave."

"Abbey I'm not … "

"It was a perfect plan," Abbey screamed.

"So what happened?" Catherine spoke calmly hoping to bring Abbey's anger level down.

"The murders at the warehouse happened. Those were so much juicier than the stalker thing. And then Commander McGarrett offered me a chance to work on the case."

"Which is what you wanted."

"Right. But there were no damn clues. We couldn't even figure out who the victims were."

"It's frustrating, Abbey, but it happens that way sometimes."

"Not to me! I was trying to make an impression on Commander McGarrett. And every time he asked me what I'd found I had to say nothing. So that's when I got an idea. I could combine the two cases. Make it look like Jack was the stalker and the murderer. I knew I'd be the hero for finding the clue that solved both cases."

"What did you do?" Catherine asked cautiously.

"It was easy. I just planted some of Jack's blood among the evidence slides, asked Max and Charlie to retest everything, and it was easy from there."

"How was it easy?" Catherine asked angrily. "How did you even think that was going to work? There would have to be more evidence than that to close the case."

"I could have produced more evidence. I just needed more time."

It was clear to Catherine that Abbey was disconnecting from reality.

"Abbey if you managed to frame Jack Fitzsimmons for the murders … if you manufactured evidence … that means the real murderer would go free."

"They're going to go free anyway. There are absolutely no leads. Someone committed the perfect murder."

"There's no such thing as the perfect murder."

"Well this one was close. So I might as well let them think Jack did it. It's not like he's going to tell anyone any different anytime soon."

"Abbey," Catherine started to get a very bad feeling, "where's Jack Fitzsimmons?"

"Everything would have worked out fine if it wasn't for that stupid paper. I knew the guy at the paper store would remember me. We handled a burglary complaint at his store once."

"Listen, Abbey, we can work this out. I can talk to Steve. Just tell us where Jack Fitzsimmons is and we can get this whole mess straightened out."

"It's way past the point where that can happen," Abby snorted as she crossed to a tarp laying three feet away from Catherine. She pulled back the corner to reveal the dead body of Jack Fitzsimmons. "Catherine Rollins—Jack Fitzsimmons. You two get better acquainted. I need some time to think."

With those words she turned and stomped up the stairs, slamming the door and plunging the basement into near total darkness.

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Saturday 4:00 P.M.**_

Steve pushed open the door to his office, needing a few minutes to himself to gather his thoughts. He wracked his brain trying to remember everything Catherine had ever said about Abbey Barnes, hoping there might be a clue somewhere. As he paced back and forth in front of the couch a splash of red caught his eye. It was Catherine's sweatshirt. The one she kept in her office in case she needed it. She'd worn it to CVS yesterday with Danny and must have taken it off in Steve's office sometime after that.

He sat down on the couch, put the shirt across his lap, pulled out his phone and dialed Duke at HPD. He didn't bother with small talk when Duke answered.

"Anything new?"

"I have every available officer on the island working on it," Duke assured Steve.

"How's Officer Jackson?"

"Still in surgery."

"Tell me everything we're doing?" Steve fingered the cuff of Catherine's sweatshirt.

"We have people questioning everyone who has ever known her. I have five officers going through everything she's been working on lately. I'm pulling her phone records and the GPS from her squad car and her personal car."

"Don't overlook any detail please, Duke. If you need anything extra call the Governor, he's available to help."

"No one is going off duty till we find her, Steve. You have my word."

"Thanks."

As Duke continued to detail the efforts HPD was making to find the two missing women Steve carefully folded Catherine's sweatshirt and placed it over the arm of the couch, ready and waiting for her when she returned.

Suddenly Chin burst into the office.

"Grover found Catherine's car!"

"Where?" Steve was up and moving towards the door.

"The parking lot of a Waipaeia Plaza."

"Any sign of her?"

"I don't think so," Chin said.

"Duke send an evidence team to Waipaeia Plaza. Right away. And pull any traffic camera surveillance tapes from that area."

"I'm on it," Duke said as Steve disconnected the call and headed out to the bullpen to grab Danny and head to the scene.

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Saturday 5:00 P.M.**_

Catherine shifted yet again trying to find a position to make the restraints less painful. Her back ached. She wasn't exactly sure why but judging by the mud caked in her hair and on her clothes she assumed it had to do with being dragged over rough ground. She was laying in 2 inches of water, on a cement floor, which left her both cold and uncomfortable. The basement was almost completely dark, except for a small amount of light leaking in under the door that lead outside. She knew the dead body of Jack Fitzsimmons was only a few feet to her right but she tried to put that fact out of her mind.

She heard the door from the upstairs creak open and footsteps descending the stairs.

"Ok I figured out how I'm gonna handle this," Abbey said without preamble. "Unfortunately for you, you're going to have to meet the same end as our friend Jack there."

"Abbey please, listen to me."

"No, sorry, no time."

"What are you going to do?"

Abbey turned and looked sympathetically at Catherine. "I'm going to give an Oscar worthy performance. I'm going to explain to everyone how Jack Fitzsimmons showed up at the house when we were in the kitchen making tea. How he must have shot and killed my partner on the way in. How he abducted us and brought us here."

"Abbey, stop and think about this for a minute."

"No, no, no, this is gonna work. I'm gonna say that I escaped to go for help, but it took me days to find my way out of the woods, and he must have killed you while I was gone."

"Abbey … stop … "

"I've made up my mind. All I have to do is get back into your house for just a minute and leave some kind of trace evidence to show Jack was there."

"That'll never happen," Catherine scoffed.

"Yes it will. Because you're going to give me the alarm code."

"I won't … "

Catherine's mind was spinning. She had to find a way to get free. Sending Abbey back to town would at least give her some time. Her left leg was throbbing badly from a cut that she could only assume happened in the kitchen when she was chloroformed.

"You will," Abbey wheeled on her, "or I'll kill your precious Commander McGarrett. I'll call him and tell him I have information on where you are and say I need to meet him. He'll show up. Of course. And I won't even care if he brings back up. Because the minute he steps out of his car I'll blow his head off."

"Give me the code," Abbey screamed.

"24615," Catherine said.

"That's a good girl. Now I'm just gonna slip into town for a few minutes then I'll be back."

"Abbey, if they find me tied up like this they'll never believe … "

"Not to worry. I've thought about that. At the rate it's raining this basement will be full of water in 2 or 3 days. I'll need that water so your bodies will be bloated by the time they find you and the time of deaths will be fuzzy. Can't have them finding out Jack died a week before you. That would ruin everything."

"Abbey … "

"Don't worry. I'll have plenty of time to take care of those details when I get back. They'll never think to look for us here. So I'll be able to stage the scene exactly how I want it before I stumble out of the forest and direct them here to find your bodies. They'll appreciate how hard I tried to save you."

"Abbey please listen to me, just unlock these restraints and get in the car and drive away. By the time I get back to town you can be on the other side of the mainland."

"Sorry, no can do. Now you just stay here and get to know Jack better. I'll be back soon."

Catherine listened to Abbey's footsteps as she made her way up the stairs then the door closed and the basement was plunged into darkness again.

* * *

_**Waipaeia Plaza **_

_**Saturday 5:30 P.M.**_

The rain had fallen off to a steady drizzle as Steve, Danny and Chin approached Catherine's car. Grover was standing beside it with a serious look on his face. Steve looked around the SWAT captain and his eyes were immediately drawn to a large blood stain on the back seat and floorboard. Danny and Chin saw it as well. They all wondered if this was the same injury from the house or if something else had happened in the car.

"Anything here that tells us anything we don't already know?" Steve asked grimly.

"Afraid not," Grover answered. "My guys are canvassing the surrounding stores right now."

An HPD officer approached the group. "We have a report that a red Chevy Cruze was stolen from this lot sometime within the last 24 hours. The owner works at the coffee shop. She left the car here yesterday after work when she went out with some co-workers. When she came back this afternoon the car was gone.

"Are there cameras in this parking lot?" Danny asked hopefully.

"Yes. We have a clear shot of the blue Corvette pulling up. One woman gets out of the front seat. Pops the lock in the Cruze. Drags an unconscious woman out of the back seat of the Corvette and puts her in the Cruze."

Steve blanched.

"I'm sorry, Commander."

"I'm fine. Go on."

"Not much more after that really. The first woman hotwires the Cruze and they go out of the parking lot and turn left.

"Does the Cruze have GPS?" Danny asked hopefully.

"We're contacting the company."

"Thanks. Keep me informed." Steve forced his eyes away from the bloodstain on Catherine's back seat. His phone buzzed and he saw Duke's name on the caller id. "What's up, Duke? Ok. Yeah. I understand. We're on our way."

Steve looked at Danny. "The silent alarm just went off at my house. Somebody entered the distress code."

"Go," Grover said. "I'll keep on top of things here."

* * *

_**McGarrett/Rollins House**_

_**Saturday 5:55 P.M.**_

Steve and Danny parked the Camaro down the road and approached the beach house on foot. As they got closer they saw a red Chevy Cruze, just like the one that had been reported stolen from the lot where Catherine's Corvette was found, parked in the driveway.

They drew their weapons and approached the house. There were no lights on but the front door was standing wide open. They exchanged a look, communicating non-verbally about how the situation would be handled, and entered the house.

Two steps inside the door they were met by the sight of Abbey Barnes coming down the stairs, carrying an armload of Catherine's things.

"Freeze, Abbey," Steve demanded, leveling his Sig at her head.

Abbey dropped the items she was carrying and immediately pulled her weapon and pointed it at Steve. She glanced to the side quickly and saw that Danny's weapon was trained directly at her head as well.

"There's no way out," Steve said evenly. "Put down the gun and tell me where Catherine is."

"She's somewhere you'll never find her," Abbey spat angrily.

"It's over," Steve ground out, fighting to keep his voice calm when all he really wanted to do was wrap his fingers around Abbey's throat and choke Catherine's location out of her. "Put down the gun and let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about." Abbey's eyes narrowed.

"No one has to get hurt here," Steve said as calmly as possible.

"You don't understand what's going on. It's Fitzsimmons. He broke in here. He shot my partner. He has Catherine. He made me come back here. I have to go back or he's going to kill her," Abbey yelled, moving her gun to point at Danny, then back to Steve.

"I don't believe you," Steve said. "We have tape from the parking lot where you stole the Cruze. Fitzsimmons wasn't there. It was just you and Catherine."

Abbey's mind was reeling. "What do you care anyway? You're letting her go off to Afghanistan."

"What are you talking about?"

"That's the television show, Abbey," Danny interrupted firmly. "It's not real life."

"Don't lie to me," Abbey screamed.

"We're not lying. You're confused."

"I'm not confused. There's going to be an opening on the team and I want that job. I deserve that job."

Listen," Steve said firmly, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Catherine isn't going anywhere. But no one has to get hurt here. Just put down the gun and tell me where she is. Just let me talk to her. Make sure she's ok."

"You want to talk to her?" Abbey pulled her phone from her pocket and waved it at Steve. "You want to call her. You think I was stupid enough to let her keep a phone? So she could call YOU the first chance she got?"

"No, I don't think you're stupid, Abbey. Let's go to wherever she is. Just you and me. No one will follow us. I just want to make sure Catherine is ok."

Abbey's eyes were wild. "Hey I know. I bet you could use the GPS on my phone to find out where I've been and find your precious Catherine."

Steve took a deep breath. Abbey was starting to spiral and he needed to keep her as calm as possible.

"I'd rather you just put the gun down and we have a conversation and you tell me where she is," Steve said in a measured tone.

"I'm sorry, Commander McGarrett. I can't do that."

"Abbey … "

"All I wanted was for someone to notice that I'm a good cop."

"Catherine noticed."

"Too late."

Before Steve or Danny could react Abbey placed her phone against her forehead, her gun against the screen of the phone, and pulled the trigger, blowing a large hole through both her head and the phone that held the only information about Catherine's current location.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. You guys are AWESOME! I'm a little behind in replying because I've been busy writing extra pages to make up for the longer chapters but I'll get to it I promise. Thanks for coming along on this journey in The Real World with Mari, ilna and me. We really appreciate it.**_

* * *

**Obsession**

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Sunday 12:00 P.M.**_

It had been a little over twenty-four hours since Catherine's abduction and approximately twenty hours since Abbey Barnes killed herself in front of Steve and Danny, taking any information about Catherine's current location with her. Both men were distraught in the aftermath of her suicide, blaming themselves for not stopping her, fearing she was their only chance to find Catherine before it was too late.

Her phone was blown apart by the gun blast. Whatever small pieces survived were covered in blood and brain matter making recovery of any data nearly impossible. The GPS antenna in the stolen Cruze had been manually disconnected from the OnStar box, rendering the GPS useless in terms of finding out where Abbey and Catherine had been in the hours between the theft of the car from Waipaeia Plaza and the confrontation at the house. The lab techs were trying everything they could possibly think of to recover any piece of available information but like too many things with this case it was going to take time.

The one thing they didn't have.

Officer Jackson was clinging to life in the Queens hospital ICU, unable to communicate at all let alone provide information on anything he might know about Abbey's whereabouts over the last several weeks. Her personal car wasn't equipped with a GPS unit but Duke had officers combing records from all the traffic cameras on the island in an effort to track her movements as closely as possible.

Every available law enforcement officer was working around the clock looking for any evidence of where Abbey might have taken Catherine. They were also continuing the search for Jack Fitzsimmons, hoping he could shed some light on what Abbey had been up to. Steve wasn't sure what the connection between Jack and Abbey was, but he wanted a chance to question Fitzsimmons himself and find out.

Lou Grover was driving his team relentlessly. Any time HPD or Five-O uncovered even the smallest potential clue Lou and his team deployed. They'd been beating the bushes, talking to sources, performing door-to-door searches. They were leaving no stone unturned in their quest to find Catherine and bring her home safely.

Samantha Grover texted her father hourly, hoping to hear that Catherine had been found alive and safe, and each time he had to respond and tell her it hadn't happened yet it broke his heart just a little knowing how badly she wanted to hear good news.

To make matters worse, the rain that had been falling for a week continued to pound down and the island was on the verge of going to a state of emergency due to flooding. Some city offices were running on a reduced staff which made obtaining information in a timely manner nearly impossible.

Steve and Danny had split up for the most part in the hours after Abbey's death, reasoning that they could cover more ground apart than together. Danny made arrangements for Grace to stay with Rachel until the whole situation was resolved and Catherine was returned home safe and sound.

He did believe they'd get Catherine home safe.

They had to.

Nothing in their final conversation with Abbey indicated to him that Catherine was dead and Danny was going on the assumption she was very much alive.

They just needed to find her.

The Five-O team was working like a well-oiled machine.

Kono had returned home with Adam late Saturday night and come straight to the office from the airport. She got to work immediately, talking to every contact she had on the island, pushing them to go out and dig for information and get back to her. She had been relentlessly pursuing every rumor that came her way, trying to sort out those that seemed at all legitimate. If she thought a lead had any credibility she passed it on to Steve or Danny, whoever was available, and they followed it up. To this point everything had been a dead end.

Chin, in addition to pushing his own sources for information, was working with the tracking station at Pearl, trying to reconstruct data from the previous day that might give them any hint of where the red Cruze had gone when it left the parking lot at Waipaeia Plaza.

They were using satellite images to identify cars that were in the vicinity at the time the Cruze was stolen and then contacting each of the owners personally and interviewing them. They explained the situation and then asked if the drivers had seen the Cruze and possibly might have noticed what direction it was headed or any turns it might have taken.

The work was tedious but they had actually managed to talk to a few drivers who remembered seeing the stolen car. They kept pushing, hoping that they'd find that one person who could give them the piece of information that would crack the case.

Sightings were coming in to the HPD Hotline by the hundreds. Especially after fact that Abbey was dead and Catherine was still missing hit the news. Some of the calls were easily identified as fake, some well-meaning and some called in by pranksters who always seemed to turn up in situations like this. But that still left dozens, if not hundreds, of leads that needed followed up on in person. Danny and Steve kept in constant phone contact with each other and with Chin and Kono as they ran down lead after lead.

After working through the night chasing false leads and dead ends, Danny could feel the desperation starting to creep into his best friend's voice over the phone. He was feeling a bit at loose ends himself so he suggested they meet back headquarters and regroup.

Once they had arrived, he saw exactly what he was afraid he'd see. Steve looked haggard and on the verge of collapse. Danny knew better than to try to get him to take a break so he began subtly Mother Henning his partner. He convinced Steve to sit in his office and make calls for a few minutes at a time. He ordered food and insisted Steve take at least a few bites. He passed off leads to Grover and HPD so they could do the leg work. He knew that if any of the leads looked promising Grover or Duke would call and he and Steve could be there right away.

Steve needed to be at the top of his game both mentally and physically if they were going to find Catherine and bring her home and Danny was going to do whatever was necessary to make that happen.

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Sunday 10:00 P.M.**_

Catherine opened her eyes and squinted against the darkness, trying to convince herself she was actually seeing what she thought she was seeing. "Steve," she said with relief as she saw him cross the basement to her side. She knew he'd find her. He must have captured Abbey when she went back to the house and forced her to reveal the location of the cabin

"Hey," he smiled brightly at her, wearing a brown t-shirt and cammo pants. "There you are. I've been looking for you."

"You found me," she said. "And just in time. I'm freezing and these chains are cutting off my circulation."

"Abbey told me where you were," he replied matter-of-factly. "She really came through on this one. She deserves more than she's getting at HPD. I'm thinking of making her part of the team."

Catherine couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Steve, she killed Jack Fitzsimmons. She brought me here and left me," Catherine struggled against the restraints, "like this."

"What are you talking about?" Steve looked confused. "Abbey's a hero. She helped us find you."

"No, she didn't … she killed … " Catherine looked to her right and saw that the body of Jack Fitzsimmons was no longer there. Both it and the tarp that had been covering it had vanished.

"Steve, you can't trust her." Catherine's pleas appeared to be falling on deaf ears.

"What are you talking about? I told you, I'm hiring her to work at Five-O."

"No, no, no, no," Catherine begged. "Please listen to me."

"Come on, take off those chains, let's get out of here." Steve knelt beside her but made no move to help.

"I can't get them off, Steve. You have to help me."

As Catherine raised her bound hands and reached out to touch him the pain in her leg intensified and she jolted awake.

She blinked.

She looked around.

No one was there.

She'd been dreaming.

She was still alone in the cold, wet basement except for the body of Jack Fitzsimmons whose dead eyes stared at her from three feet away.

She had no idea how long she'd been asleep. The pain in her hands and feet was approaching unbearable. The chain around her neck felt as though it weighed fifty pounds and would choke her if she moved at all.

She took a moment to assess the situation and realized that she was now lying in at least six inches of water as the rain continued to beat down outside. Her fever was getting worse and her body trembled from the chills she couldn't get under control.

She twisted her wrist in an effort to get a look at the fluorescent dial on her watch. She frowned when she saw a large crack down the center, damage that had obviously occurred at some point during her struggle with Abbey. The crack had allowed water to seep in and the watch was no longer working.

Catherine had no way of knowing how long Abbey had been gone and when or if she was ever coming back. She struggled against the restraints but she knew it was no use. She'd been unable to make any headway in the initial hours after Abbey had restrained her, when she still had most of her strength, in her current weakened condition she knew there was absolutely no chance she could get herself free.

All she could do was try her best to stay alive and hope someone found her in time.

She laid her head back against the cold cement wall and started to pray.

* * *

_**Five-O Headquarters**_

_**Monday 3:00 P.M.**_

"I might have something," Danny said hopefully as he pored over the latest batch of case files that had been sent over from HPD. They had access to all the files on the computer but Danny had requested the paper copies, hoping that something in the written case notes might help.

Duke had assigned two officers the task of pulling the files out of the archives and getting them over to Five-O headquarters where Danny and Steve were going through them. Danny was sitting on the couch in Steve's office while Steve sat at his desk. It wasn't as good as catching a few hours sleep but at least he had finally gotten Steve to sit down before he fell down.

"What?" Steve's bleary eyes were suddenly more focused.

"About three weeks ago Abbey spent several days doing checks on the cabins at Waipula Pass. HPD had gotten some suspicious activity reports from people who live in the area. They were worried there might be squatters in some of the unoccupied cabins. HPD sent Abbey and her partner up to do a cabin by cabin check.

"Did they find anything?"

"No, they reported nothing looked out of place and the cabins were all locked up tight … but … one of the homeowners, a guy named John Rodgers, claimed he never got his keys back. And … wait … where's the evidence bag with the keys they found on Abbey's body?" Danny asked.

Steve picked up the bag and tossed it to Danny. The lab had taken pictures of the keys and distributed them all over the island hoping someone might recognize them and know what they unlocked. Steve had asked for copies of all the keys to be made and distributed to every search team leader so there would be no delay in getting to Catherine if they found her.

"These keys are all for padlocks, not door locks. That's the kind of thing you might use to secure a cabin." Danny was getting more hopeful with each passing minute.

Steve sat up straighter, instantly alert. "Do we have an address?"

"We do," Danny pulled out the report that had been filed about the missing keys.

"Has anybody been up there to check since Catherine went missing?"

"I'll find out." Danny pulled out his phone to call Duke as Steve exited the office and approached Kono who was working at the smart table.

"Can you pull up property records and incident reports for the Waipula Pass area? I'm looking for anything unusual there in the last week."

"You got it, Boss," Kono said as she began to type.

Danny finished his call just as Chin entered the bullpen.

"The ranger's station says it's practically impassable already up there with all the rain so they haven't got anyone up there to check yet."

"Where are you talking about?" Chin asked.

"Waipula Pass. Abbey did some work up there and we think she may have lifted a set of keys."

"You may be on to something," Chin said excitedly as he moved next to Kono and swiped a file up to the overhead screens. "The lab managed to recover small parts of the GPS from Abbey's phone. Nothing specific but she was definitely pinging towers in the Waipula Pass area within the last week. That fits with reports from some of the motorists who remember seeing the red Cruze headed in that direction."

"The cabin check was over by then. Do we know any other reason she would have been in the area?"

"There's nothing in the files," Danny said confidently. "If she was there it wasn't on HPD business."

"We have to get up there right away," Steve said, excited about a potential lead for the first time in hours. He had a good feeling that this might be the one to actually lead them to Catherine. "Find me a way in."

"The roads and bridges are flooding out by the minute," Danny said, repeating what he'd been told by the rangers. "Even if you start up there now there's no guarantee the road will still be passable by the time you get there to get in. Or get out."

"Just get me in," Steve said, his tone making it clear he was going with their help or without it. "I'll worry about getting out after I find Catherine."

"Any chance we can get a chopper in the air," Danny asked.

"Not in this weather," Chin shook his head.

"I'll drive as far as I can and go in the rest of the way on foot." Steve said adamantly. "I have all the equipment I need in the truck. I'm gonna head in that direction. Text me the GPS coordinates."

"Steve, are you sure?" Kono asked.

"I'm positive. You heard what Danny said. Those cabins are flooding out. If Catherine is trapped there she doesn't have time to wait for the rain to end. She needs help."

"I'm going with you," Danny said.

Steve looked his partner in the eye. He knew Danny cared about Catherine, and would do anything to help bring her home, but he had no idea what he was going to find on the flooded mountain and he couldn't ask Danny to take the chance. Not when he had Gracie to consider.

"I appreciate it, Danny, but you don't have to do that. I have no idea what I'm gonna have to deal with when I get there. This could be dangerous."

"I know," Danny nodded. "I'm going anyway."

"Danny what about Grace … she needs you."

Danny leveled a look at his partner that said this wasn't open for debate. "Well I guess you're just gonna have to make sure the operation goes off with a hitch Super SEAL."

There was no way Danny was gonna allow Steve to head out alone. And no way he was not going to pursue any lead, no matter the risk involved, that might lead to Catherine's safe return.

"Thanks," Steve nodded. "I just want to say … "

"Save it for later," Danny smirked. "Let's go get Catherine."

Steve nodded "Let's do this."

"Stay in contact," Chin said as Steve and Danny turned and headed for the door. "And be careful."

"I'm counting on seeing all three of you back here in a matter of hours," Kono shouted after them as they cleared the doors and headed for Steve's truck.

* * *

_**Waipula Pass**_

_**Monday 3:50 P.M.**_

After a couple of close calls with nearly washed out bridges Steve and Danny made it onto the mountain itself. The rain was pounding down, restricting visibility and making every mile treacherous. More than once the truck slid towards an embankment at the edge of the road only to have Steve manage to steer it to safety at the last minute.

Danny was using the GPS on his phone to direct them while Steve concentrated 100% of his energy on navigating the dangerous conditions.

"The access road should be 100 yards ahead on the right," Danny said.

As the truck moved forward both men looked out the window desperately hoping to see gravel.

"Should be," Steve said. He saw an opening in the trees and assumed the road they were looking for was located somewhere under all the water. He made the turn and waited till he felt the truck gain some traction before pressing the gas harder.

Their biggest problem now was mud. Several times the truck bogged down. Each time Steve managed to get it going again. But the closer they got to the cabin the deeper the mud got. They continued on for another five miles before a clearing came into sight.

"The cabin is up ahead," Danny said as he looked at his phone.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth the truck stopped. Steve tried repeatedly but couldn't get it going. He pressed the gas but nothing happened. He could hear the engine straining but the truck didn't move at all. He opened the door and looked first at the front wheels, then the back.

"We're buried up to the axles in mud. We're gonna have to make a run for it."

"Okay," Danny agreed. He wasn't eager to get out of the truck in these conditions but they were too close to let anything stop them now.

"Where exactly is the cabin," Steve asked, straining to see through the driving rain.

"I00 yards straight ahead," Danny answered.

"OK let's go. Ready?" Steve opened the door of the truck, grabbed the First Aid kit and both his and Catherine's go bag, and stepped out into the driving rain and ankle deep mud.

"As I'll ever be," Danny said. As soon as his feet hit the ground he had to grab the door of the truck to avoid falling in the slippery mud. He took a minute to get his footing then headed off after Steve in the direction of the cabin.

It took nearly 10 minutes to make the 100 yard trip.

They finally reached the porch of the cabin they were looking for and saw that it was secured with a padlock. Danny pulled out the keys that had been found on Abbey's body and began trying them in the lock.

The second one worked.

They removed the lock and barged into the cabin.

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Monday 4:00 P.M.**_

"Catherine! Catherine!" Steve yelled as they entered the cabin. He moved through the small living room, eyes scanning every surface, and into the kitchen.

His heart rate jumped when he saw Catherine's car keys lying on the cluttered kitchen counter. He'd know her distinctive Navy key ring anywhere.

"We're in the right place," he said excitedly picking up the keys and showing Danny.

"Catherine!" Danny called with a renewed urgency as he pushed open the door to the small bedroom.

"Steve," a weak voice called from the basement. "Steve!"

Steve and Danny looked at each other and bolted for the basement door. They made their way down the narrow staircase in almost complete darkness. Danny flipped the light switch to no avail. Either the light was burned out or it had been disabled.

Both men pulled out their phones and activated the flashlight app, giving them just enough light to see Catherine lying on the floor in the corner of the room, bound and shivering, in about 18 inches of water. She was shackled at the wrists and ankles and there was a thick chain wrapped around her neck. Three feet to her left was the bloated dead body of a man Steve and Danny assumed was Jack Fitzsimmons.

Steve stepped off the bottom step into the water and splashed his way his way quickly towards Catherine with Danny right behind him.

They sidestepped the dead body.

They could deal with that later.

Right now their only concern was Catherine.

"Cath? Cath? Are you ok?" Steve knelt next to her head and did his best in the limited light available to check her over for injuries. Danny leaned over his partner's back and added his light but it still wasn't enough. Between the darkness and the water it was nearly impossible to make any kind of assessment. Steve placed his hand on the side of her face and immediately felt that she was burning up with fever.

She was shivering uncontrollably and barely seemed to notice him at first. Suddenly her eyes filled with tears and she said through chattering teeth, "You look so real this time. You even feel real this time."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked as Danny went to work trying to figure out which key opened the padlocks so they could get Catherine free.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks towards her lips which were just short of blue. "You're not really here. I'm dreaming again."

"I'm here, Catherine. I'm really here." Steve squeezed her shoulder and stroked her cheek to try to reassure her.

Catherine continued to cry softly as Danny tried each of the keys off the ring in turn and finally managed to unlock the chain around her neck, followed by the one on her hands and the one on her ankles. As he unlocked the locks he could see, even in the dim light, her extremities were turning blue.

"We gotta get her out of this water," Danny said as he tossed the chains aside.

Steve handed his phone to Danny, then slid his arms under Catherine and picked her up, moving quickly back up the narrow stairs as Danny lit the way with the phone lights.

Once Steve and Catherine were safely at the top Danny ascended the steps himself.

He knew they had to find a way to warm Catherine up and was grateful to see this cabin, like many in the area, had a fireplace to ward off the occasional chill during the rainy season. "This fireplace looks like it works," he said. "I saw some wood on the porch. I'll get a fire started. We need to warm her up."

"Thanks," Steve said, focused solely on Catherine. He sat her gently on the couch in the center of the room.

"No problem." Danny crossed the cabin and headed outside to the small covered porch. He returned a minute later with the driest wood he could find and began looking for some kind of paper to use as a starter. He finally settled on a couple of old magazines on the coffee table and set about getting the fire started.

Steve murmured softly and soothingly to Catherine as he began to remove her soaking wet clothes and replace them with dry things from her go bag.

"Ok here we go," he said as he eased her shaking arms out of the sleeves of her shirt. "You're gonna feel much better when we get you out of these wet clothes."

He quickly removed her wet bra as well. He pulled a towel from her go bag and gently rubbed her skin dry. As he worked he assessed her physical condition. She had multiple bruises and scrapes, in addition to a split lip and a small cut on her forehead, none of which looked too serious or like a cause for great concern. He pulled an antiseptic swap from the first aid kit and wiped down the scrapes before grabbing a t-shirt and pulling it gently over her head, working her arms smoothly into the sleeves.

"Can you lift your hips so we can get these pants off?" he asked softly as he heard the fire come to life behind him. When he got no response he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants then lifted her gently and pulled both her pants and underwear off. He once again dried her skin as gently as possible then slipped a pair of sweat pants from her bag over her ankles.

He stopped to examine the wound on her leg. The cut itself was relatively small, no more than three inches long running up the inside of her left calf. The problem was that it was badly infected, probably due to the murky water she had been laying in for close to two days. He was sure the infection in that cut was what was causing her elevated fever and chills. As soon as he touched the area around the cut with an antiseptic wipe Catherine hissed in pain.

He would deal with the cut later. Right now getting her warm was the most important thing. Her limbs were practically blue from a mixture of cold water and reduced circulation due to the restraints. Steve gently rubbed her hands and feet, one after the other, in an attempt to get the blood flowing again. He once again lifted her gently and pulled the sweat pants into place. He then added thick wool socks that were a must for every go bag. He then kissed her on the cheek and gave her a second layer of clothes using the things from his go bag. By the time he was finished the fire was blazing away.

"Can you…" Steve said to Danny as he indicated the recliner in the center of the room.

"Absolutely." Danny slid the chair over close to the fire then went to the bedroom to look for blankets.

Steve lifted Catherine and gently placed her in the chair as Danny came back with a large tan fleece blanket. Steve spread the blanket over Catherine, tucking it in tightly.

"How's she doing?" Danny asked, his voice laced with concern.

"She was freezing from being in that water," Steve said as he re-tucked the blanket one more time. "I think she's hallucinating. Or she was before. Because she kept saying that I seem real but I seemed real last time and she knows I'm not really here."

Worry creased Steve's brow. He crossed the room and retrieved the first aid kit then came back and checked Catherine's temperature, pulse and heart rate.

"Well?"

"Her temperature is up. So is her heart rate. She has a cut on her leg that's infected. I'm gonna start her on some IV antibiotics. Hopefully those will do the trick till we can get out of here."

"What can I do?" Danny asked.

"Pray these antibiotics work," Steve said as he prepared the IV.

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Monday 10:00 P.M.**_

Danny found a few provisions in the cupboards and managed to throw together an edible pasta dinner. It was nothing special but it was nutrition. He managed, with near constant nagging, to get Steve to eat a few bites as he sat next to the recliner keeping a close eye on Catherine's condition.

Cell service in the area was spotty due to the weather but Danny had managed to talk to Chin for long enough to fill him in on the fact that they'd found Catherine, that Steve's truck was bogged down, and that they needed to get off the mountain as soon as possible and get Catherine to a hospital.

Chin promised to work on things from his end and let Danny know as soon as they came up with a solution. He said to give Catherine a hug from both he and Kono and to tell Steve to hang in there. He would find a way to get them safely off that mountain if it was the last thing he did.

Steve checked Catherine's temperature and saw that it had risen another half a degree in the last hour.

"These antibiotics aren't working," he said, concern creasing his features.

He pushed back the fleece blanket and began to push up Catherine's left pant leg to examine the infected cut.

As soon as he touched her ankle she let out a howl of pain.

Danny looked unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Steve said as soothingly as he could. "I just have to get a better look at this cut."

Catherine settled back into an uneasy semi-conscious sleep as Steve gently rolled up the leg on both her sweat pants and his that she was wearing as a second layer. He saw that not only was the wound itself red and angry looking but the surrounding area was now red, swollen and very warm to the touch. In addition, there was a large amount of pus under the scab that had formed. He checked the area very carefully for any signs of a red streak that would indicate blood poisoning and was happy that at least on that front they seemed to be safe for now.

"What do we do?" Danny asked, clearly concerned.

"We need to clean out this wound and try to release some of the infection."

"How do we do that?"

Steve took a deep breath and looked at Catherine's face. "Very carefully. Could you see if there are any clean towels in the bathroom?"

Danny turned and headed back the hall, returning a few seconds later with an armload of clean white towels. "I'm gonna get some more wood before you start … make sure the fire doesn't go out," he said as he headed towards the porch.

As Steve lifted Catherine's leg to put a towel underneath she cried out in pain. "I'm sorry, Cath," he said as he re-settled her leg in place. "I'm so sorry. But this has to be done."

Catherine's eyes fluttered open and she looked at him as though she was seeing him for the first time. "Steve?!" Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey," he said softly as he moved to kneel beside her, their noses were practically touching. "Hi."

"You're really here?" She reached out her hand and touched his cheek. Her tears began to fall in earnest when he didn't disappear and in fact felt warm and alive under her fingertips.

"We're really here," he assured her, placing his hand on the side of her face and kissing her cheek.

"I thought you were here before but I was just dreaming, or hallucinating," Catherine said, reaching for his hand and squeezing, just to make sure.

"Your leg is infected, Catherine. You've got a fever. That's probably what caused it."

"It hurts," she said, pain in her voice.

"I bet it does."

Catherine smiled softly at him. "You found me."

He leaned in and placed his lips close to her ear. "Always."

"Abbey?" Catherine asked suddenly fearful.

"She's gone, Catherine. You don't have to worry about her."

"She killed Jack Fitzsimmons."

"I figured."

"His body is in the basement. He was innocent, Steve. He didn't do anything. It was all her. She set him up."

"OK," he said as he smoothed back her hair. "Just lay back and relax. We can worry about that later. Right now let's just concentrate on getting out of here and getting you to a hospital."

Danny returned from the porch with the driest wood he could find and his heart leapt when he saw Steve and Catherine having an actual conversation. If she was regaining consciousness, and not hallucinating any longer, he thought that had to be a good sign.

"Is Sleeping Beauty really awake this time?" he teased as he moved to Catherine's side. He could see her eyes were feverish but more focused and alert than at any time since they'd arrived. He knew she was still fighting a serious infection but getting warmed up, and getting some antibiotics, had done wonders to improve her condition. "How are you feeling, Hon?"

"I've been better," she said honestly.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Steve moved back down to the foot of the chair. "We're gonna have to open this cut up, Catherine. Let some of the infection out. The antibiotics aren't doing it on their own."

"Are you sure?"

"Your temperature has been going up about half a degree an hour. It's at 103 now. There's no way we can get out of here before morning. We have to do something to try to slow down the infection."

"Ok then. " She looked at Steve with complete trust. If he said this was the only way then it was the only way. She could take whatever pain it caused.

"This is gonna hurt," he told her honestly.

"I'm ready." She managed a small smile but it didn't reach her eyes.

"What can I do?" Danny asked.

"Well," Steve said "you can hold Catherine's shoulders down and let her squeeze your forearms. I can't give her anything for the pain so this is gonna be rough."

"Do you have any splints in there in case she breaks my arm?"

Catherine smiled a weak smile which Danny returned.

He sat down on the arm of the recliner, placed his hands on Catherine's shoulders and winked at her. "Don't hurt me."

She grinned. "I'll try not to."

"Ready?" Steve asked.

"Ready," Catherine and Danny said in unison.

Steve used the knife from the first aid kit to peel off the scabby part of the wound. As soon as the knife made contact Catherine screamed and tried to sit up. It took all Danny's effort to keep her down.

Steve worked as quickly as he could, removing the more solid scabby material on the top of the cut and allowing some of the infection to drain out. Within seconds Catherine relaxed and Danny was able to ease his grip slightly.

"You ok?" he asked her softly.

"Yeah. It actually feels a little better."

"That's good."

"Ok this is gonna sting," Steve said as he prepared to use the only antiseptic he had available.

Danny repositioned his hands and Catherine hissed as the liquid made contact with the wound. "You good?"

"Yeah," she winced.

Steve quickly dressed the wound to allow it to continue to drain. Once Danny saw he was finished he stood up to allow Steve to take the seat closest to Catherine.

"I'm gonna step outside and see if I can get Chin. Maybe he has some new info." He moved towards the door, determined to give Steve and Catherine a few minutes of privacy.

"You ok?" Steve asked, voiced laced with concern, as he sat down on the arm of the recliner.

"Almost," Catherine answered softly.

"What do you need?" He was determined to make it happen, whatever it was.

Catherine opened her arms and held them up weakly.

Steve smiled and leaned in to give her a hug.

"Hi," she whispered in his ear.

"Hi," he whispered back.

"You're really here."

"Yes, I am."

"I'm really glad."

"Me too."

Steve held her close, careful not to squeeze her too tight in her weakened condition but wanting to offer her all the strength and comfort he could.

"Is the rain gonna let up soon?" she asked.

'Not soon enough,' Steve thought to himself but said, "I hope so."

Catherine shifted slightly to ease the pain in her leg.

"It's gonna be ok, Cath. We're gonna get out of here."

"I know," she smiled sleepily.

"Why don't you try to rest?" He kissed her softly.

"OK just for a few minutes," she said as her eyes slipped closed.

Steve was still sitting beside her sifting his hands through her hair, watching her sleep, when Danny re-entered the cabin.

"Anything new?"

"Maybe."

"What?" Steve asked hopefully, voice lowered in an attempt not to wake Catherine.

"Chin said that it doesn't look like there's gonna be a break in the weather for at least another 24 hours."

"I don't know if Catherine can wait 24 hours."

"I know. But while I was outside talking to Chin I noticed there's an ATV in the carport."

"Does it run?"

"Yes. I found the keys on a hook. It's built as a two seater but we can make it work. Chin said if we can get down the mountain he can get some sort of emergency transport to the spot on the highway below the bridge."

Steve glanced back at Catherine sleeping restlessly. "I think it's worth a try. I'm not sure those antibiotics can keep her infection at bay for another 24 hours."

"Let's wait till the sun comes up and see where we stand," Danny said. "We can't take off in the middle of the night anyway and Catherine needs time to rest and let her wound drain."

"Sounds good. Let's wait till morning and see where we stand."

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

**Well here we are guys. The final chapter. Thanks to all of you who have been reading and who have sent such awesome reviews. They not only make my day but they make me want to keep working to make the story as good as it can possibly be. Thanks as always to all of you for coming along on this REAL World adventure and to Mar and ilna for making it more fun than should be allowed by law.**

* * *

**Obsession**

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Tuesday 5:00 A.M.**_

"How's she doing?" Danny asked with a gravelly voice as he emerged from the bedroom, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He'd finally succumbed to his exhaustion at around 2:00 A.M. and had enjoyed three uninterrupted hours of sleep before he was awoken by the sound of the rain beating harder on the roof.

Steve had insisted Danny take the bed reasoning that one of them should try to get a few hours of real sleep. Danny had agreed, knowing full well Steve had no intention of leaving Catherine's side. He had promised he'd try to sleep in the living room but one look told Danny his partner had slept very little, if at all.

He had pulled a small stool up beside the recliner and positioned it just about even with Catherine's head. He was leaning forward, holding her left hand between both of his and watching her intently. At Danny's question he brushed his lips over her forehead to check her fever. Even though he had used a thermometer at least half a dozen times through the night he still trusted his lips on her forehead more.

Opening up the wound on her leg and allowing it to drain had managed to slow down her fever, but it still hadn't broken. When Steve last checked at 4:30 AM it was holding steady at 103 degrees. The hand he was holding, along with her other extremities, had luckily regained their normal coloring. The warmth of the fire, the dry clothes and the removal of the restraints had all worked together to get her circulation going again. But her body just couldn't seem to get ahead of the infection in her leg.

The rain continued to beat down relentlessly. Through the night Steve listened carefully, hoping for any indication that it was letting up, that a break might be on the way, even for the hour or less they would need to get a helicopter in the air and get Catherine evacuated out to a hospital, but much to his dismay the only sounds he heard all night were the drumbeat of rain on the cabin's thankfully sound roof and Catherine's occasional whimper of fever-induced pain. The forecasters were predicting there would be no break for at least twenty-four hours.

By 2:00 A.M. Steve knew he had to do something.

"About the same," he said tiredly. "Her fever is holding steady but it hasn't gone down at all."

"So what's the plan?" Danny asked, even though he knew the answer already.

Chin had been relaying National Weather Service data and forecasts and nothing in those hourly reports looked good. While there were a few periods over the next twenty-four hours where it looked like the rain might let up a little, there didn't appear to be any window large enough to allow either a helicopter or any other kind of rescue vehicle to get to the cabin.

He had hoped that maybe the combination of the antibiotics and the procedure Steve had performed to allow the infected cut to drain would reduce Catherine's fever and stabilize her condition. As soon as he knew that hadn't happened, he knew they would have to try something to get off the mountain themselves.

"Call Chin," Steve said reluctantly. "I think we need to try to go down the mountain."

Danny nodded. "I'll let him know."

"Thanks, Danny."

"No problem. But listen …you better talk to Catherine …prepare her. This isn't gonna be an easy trip."

"Yeah." Steve scrubbed his hand over his face and tried to stretch the kinks out of his back. "I will. I just wanted to let her rest as long as possible. I kept hoping the fever would break."

"I know," Danny sighed. He knew this decision wasn't an easy one for Steve. The trip down the mountain was going to be tough enough for the two of them but it was going to be much worse for Catherine in her weakened condition. If there was any other option Danny knew Steve would jump at it. But there wasn't. So Danny was determined to make the trip as easy as possible on everyone involved.

"OK I'm gonna go grab those tarps out of the carport and make sure the ATV is gassed up. I'll let you know when it's ready, "Danny said as he headed out the front door.

Steve sat down on the arm of the recliner and took a minute to just look at Catherine. She was sleeping restlessly, as she had been all night. Her forehead was creased with tension. Despite the warmth of the fire burning just five feet away she continued to shiver. Steve re-tucked the tan fleece blanket tight around her then leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek as he gently stroked her hair.

She came awake slowly.

He saw a moment of fear cross her face as she struggled to remember where she was before her eyes finally focused on him. Realization dawned and she relaxed. She was still at the cabin, and she still felt terrible, but Steve and Danny were here now. She wasn't alone in the basement any longer.

"Hey." Her voice cracked slightly.

"Hey yourself," Steve smiled reassuringly at her. "How do you feel?"

Catherine made a quick assessment of her condition. Her whole body ached and she felt simultaneously extremely hot and chilled to the bone. Her head was pounding, as was her left leg. Her back was sore and no matter how she shifted she couldn't find a completely comfortable position.

"Pretty good," she said, wanting to ease the anxiety she saw on Steve's face.

"Liar," he smiled softly.

Catherine tried to smile in return but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Look Cath," Steve said somberly, "the rain isn't going to let up any time soon. Danny found a working ATV so we're going to try to go down the mountain. Chin is gonna get an ambulance as close as he can. We need to get you to a hospital."

"Are you sure we shouldn't wait just a little while longer and see what happens? Judging by the amount of water that was in the basement it must be bad out there."

Steve didn't want to tell Catherine that the eighteen inches of water that had been in the basement when they arrived and found her was nothing compared to the several feet that was there now. And that as bad as conditions had been on the way in, they were going to be considerably worse on the way out. This trip was going to be hard enough; there was no need to worry her unnecessarily.

"I wish there was another way but there just isn't, Cath. We can't afford to keep waiting out the weather. Your fever is stable now but I don't know how long it'll hold. We have to get you the hospital and let them check that leg."

"But how … "

"Don't you worry about that." He kissed her on the forehead. "Danny is all over it. He's gonna figure it out. All you have to do is hang on for the ride."

"Okay."

She trusted him completely. If he believed this was the best course of action then she would support him. Unconditionally. And do everything she could not to make things more difficult in any way.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, it's probably gonna be miserable, Cath," he said sympathetically "We'll do everything we can to make it quick and painless but … if there was any other option I'd take it … I would … but we just can't wait any longer."

"I trust you." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "If you say this is the only option then it is. I'll be fine."

Steve pulled her into a gentle hug and kissed her temple. This was his Catherine. She was the strongest person who knew. Once he realized they were going to have make a move and leave the cabin he knew Catherine would be a trooper.

"Okay then." He pulled back, re-tucked her blanket tightly and smiled. "Why don't you try to get a little more sleep till we're ready to go?"

"Okay," she said as he eyes began to drift closed. "Just let me know when you're ready to go."

"Roger that."

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Tuesday 5:30 A.M.**_

Steve looked up from his seat next to Catherine as Danny reentered the cabin and shook off the rain. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Good." Steve stood and smiled down at Catherine who had stirred when she heard the door open. "You ready to get outta here?"

"Absolutely."

"Ok," he stroked her cheek. "give us a minute to figure out the best way to do this and I'll be right back for you."

Steve followed Danny outside and saw the ATV parked right off the front porch.

"I attached the wood carrier," Danny said, indicating the sturdy metal shelf now protruding about 18 inches off the back of the machine. "I found a couple of tarps to keep Catherine dry. I'll drive; you and Catherine can sit on the back. Maybe if you brace your legs on the shelf … "

"Yeah," Steve said, studying the set up. "We'll make it work."

Danny couldn't help but notice the look of apprehension on his partner's face.

"Something wrong, Steve?"

"No … yes …I don't know."

"Well that clears it up nicely," Danny said. He could tell there was something Steve wanted to say but for some reason he was having trouble spitting it out. "Just say it, buddy."

Steve looked him in the eyes. "Are we doing the right thing?"

"What do you mean? Are you having second thoughts?"

"No, I mean, not really but …" he looked out at the rain and mud as far as his eyes could see, "…this could go wrong in so many ways. I just wish there was another option."

"I know, Steve," Danny said with absolute conviction, "but there isn't. We have to get Catherine out of here. This has to be done."

"I know. You're right. I just …"

"I get it," Danny said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood, "but listen … come on … you're finally giving me a chance to drive. I won't mess this up. If I do, you'll never let me drive again."

Steve smiled. "Thanks, Danny."

"Any time. Now let's do this. I'm ready to get home and take a hot shower."

After considering and discarding a number of possible scenarios Steve and Danny finally decided that the best option was for Steve to sit on the wood carrier, which they had ascertained would easily hold his weight, and for them to place Catherine on the back seat between them. They would fashion a makeshift tent with a tarp to keep her as warm and dry as possible.

"I have some stuff in the truck I can use to rig up a tent," Steve said as he looked out towards where his truck was still bogged down in the mud. "I'll go grab it."

"What can I do to help?" Danny asked.

"Nothing. Thanks. I got this. Can you go back in and check on Catherine? Keep her company till I'm done and we're ready to go?"

"My pleasure," Danny smiled.

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Tuesday 5:45 A.M.**_

Catherine's head turned when she heard the door open. "Everything ok?" she asked anxiously.

"Everything's fine," Danny assured her. "MacGyver is rigging up a tent over the back of the ATV to keep you dry. It'll just take a few minutes."

Catherine smiled.

"Are you ok with trying this, Danny? It doesn't seem like the safest thing in the world."

Danny snorted. "The list of unsafe activities I've been involved in since I met Steve is … well … let's just say it's not a short list."

He crossed the small room and sat down beside Catherine on the stool Steve had spent the night on. She reached up and placed her hand softly on his forearm.

"I know that. I just …" She hesitated.

"What?"

"I don't want you to put yourself in danger for me. I agree with Steve that he and I have to go. But if you don't want to … Danny I would understand and so would Steve."

Danny laid his hand over hers.

"Hey, hey, hey. Where's this coming from?"

Catherine bit her lip nervously. "Steve tried to downplay it when I asked him, but I know the trip up here was dangerous."

"And?"

"And I appreciate that you came and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you trying to go down the mountain," Catherine looked down and swiped at the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Hey … listen to me …Catherine … look at me." Danny spoke softly but forcefully.

She raised her eyes slowly to meet his.

"I didn't have a second thought about jumping in Steve's truck and heading up here. I knew the chance I was taking before we left the Palace .. but still … it never crossed my mind not to come. I wanted to come."

"You're a good friend to Steve, Danny."

Catherine smiled softly as she regained her composure.

"Thank you. But it wasn't just about him." Danny wiped away the dampness on her cheeks with his thumb.

"What do you mean?"

"It was about you too," he smiled.

"Danny … "

"You're my friend too, Catherine. You know that. There was no way I was gonna leave you up here on this mountain to fend for yourself just because there was a little water and mud in the way."

"A little?"

"Yeah. It was nothing an outdoorsman like me can't handle," he teased.

"You're very sweet." She patted his arm.

"No, I'm not. I'm grumpy and cynical."

"I know your secret Danny Williams," Catherine said in a sing-song voice.

"I have no secret," he insisted.

"Yes you do. And I know it."

"Ok, what is it?"

"You," Catherine smiled at him, "are a big hearted softie."

"I'm no such thing." Danny pretended to be aghast at the very thought, delighted when he heard Catherine actually chuckle. "That's a vicious lie."

"What if I promise to keep your secret?" she said conspiratorially. "Will you acknowledge it then?"

"Maybe," he acquiesced. "But only to you."

"Okay." She smiled softly and shifted in an attempt to relieve the pain in her leg.

"And if you mention this conversation to Steve … "

"I won't. Scouts honor."

"We're you ever a scout?"

"No, but I used to be a Naval Officer."

"That'll have to do I guess," he said agreeably.

"Seriously, Danny. Thanks." Catherine said sincerely.

"Anytime." He patted her arm. "Without you I'd have to take care of the animal myself. I like having you around to help."

"I like having you around too." Catherine smiled softly.

Suddenly the front door opened and a very wet Steve stepped inside.

"Ok. I think we're ready to go."

* * *

_**Rodgers Cabin**_

_**Tuesday 6:05 A.M.**_

Danny extinguished the fire in the fireplace while Steve hung a fresh antibiotic IV for Catherine. He grabbed all the extra blankets in the cabin and placed them by the front door.

"You ready?" he asked her.

"Ready," she assured him.

Danny grabbed the first aid kit and secured it to the handle bars of the ATV then climbed on. Steve carried Catherine out and placed her on the seat behind Danny. He secured her IV bag with a clamp to one of the makeshift tent poles above her head. He went back to the cabin and grabbed two pillows to put under her leg. Once she was situated and as comfortable as she could possibly be he went back and grabbed the extra blankets. He climbed on the ATV and situated himself on the wood carrier with his legs spread wide and braced against the seat. He pulled Catherine tight against his chest and covered her with the extra blankets. He adjusted the overhead tarps in an effort to keep her dry as the rain continued to pound down.

Danny started the ATV and gunned the engine.

"You ok?" Steve shouted to Catherine over the sound of the rain and the ATV's loud engine.

Catherine nodded.

"Let's go," he yelled to Danny.

As the ATV started to move Steve pulled Catherine tight against his body attempting to share every bit of body heat he could. He adjusted the tarp to keep the rain off her face and sent up a prayer that the trip was as quick and painless as possible.

He would not let his mind consider the possibility that they wouldn't make it down the mountain. Or worse yet that they would end up stuck somewhere, fully exposed to the elements, unable to either get down the mountain or back to the cabin.

In this case, failure was not an option.

Danny did his best to avoid any obstacles that would cause excessive vibration or motion. The going was slow but steady. Once he got the hang of the way the ATV handled it was just a matter of choosing the best path from the options in front of him.

There were times when the mud became too thick and they would have to retreat to higher ground and find a drier line down. There were other times when the water was too deep and he had to take a sharp turn to avoid being washed away. Sometimes it felt to Danny as though each turn was taking them farther away from their destination as opposed to closer. A trip that should have taken 30 minutes had already taken two hours and there was no end in sight.

"You ok?" Steve leaned over and asked Catherine.

"MmmHmm," she said without opening her eyes.

"You warm enough?" He tightened the blankets around her shivering body.

There was no response.

"Catherine," he shook her lightly, "you have to try to stay awake."

"Okay," she said groggily.

"Seriously, Catherine. Talk to me."

"About what?"

"Anything."

Catherine cracked her eyes open.

"Remember that day off you offered me a week or so back?"

"Yep."

"I think I might want it now."

Steve laughed. "You got it. I'll even get you that weekend spa package you like at that place on the big island."

"Thanks," she snuggled against his chest, "but I think I just wanna stay home."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I just wanna sit on the beach behind the house, with you, and relax."

"You got it. What should we do while we're sitting there?" Steve tried to keep her talking.

Catherine kept up the conversation for as long as she could, imagining a lazy day spent lounging in the sun and a delicious fresh seafood dinner grilled on the beach, but eventually she slipped into semi-consciousness.

"How's she doing?" Danny yelled back over his shoulder.

"She's losing ground," Steve said anxiously. "How much longer?"

"I'm not sure. I'm doing my best."

"I know you are, Danny. You're doing great. The infection is just….strong."

Danny surveyed the hillsides in front of him and made a decision. They were taking the shortest way down even if it meant it was going to be a thrill ride. Catherine needed to get to a hospital and he was gonna make that happen.

* * *

_**Meeting Point**_

_**Below Waipula Pass**_

_**Tuesday 8:55 A.M.**_

When the red and blue lights of the waiting emergency vehicles finally came into view Steve sighed with relief. Catherine's breathing had become more shallow over the last thirty minutes of the trip and she had been fading in and out of consciousness. He knew the rain and chill weren't helping her condition in the least.

As Danny navigated the last quarter mile of the trip, his concentration fully focused on getting the ATV over the last few obstacles that stood between them and safety, Steve tried to rouse Catherine.

"Wake up," he said, his lips against her ear. "We made it."

"We're here?" Catherine asked unsteadily as her eyes fluttered open.

"We're here," Steve smiled.

As Danny pulled the ATV to a stop Chin and Kono approached carrying large golf style umbrellas. Danny noticed several ATVs sitting on the road in addition to the ambulance and several HPD squad cars.

"How is she?" Kono asked worriedly as they reached the ATV.

"Hanging in there," Steve said, "but we need to get to the hospital now."

"We're ready to go," Chin said as Steve climbed off the machine, ignoring the cramps in his legs from sitting in an awkward position for an extended period, peeled back the tarp and blankets and lifted Catherine out. Kono grabbed the IV bag and they headed toward the waiting ambulance.

Steve sidestepped the EMTs and climbed directly into the back of the ambulance, laying Catherine on the dry stretcher.

"Wait … Kono … " Catherine said weakly.

"Catherine we have to go," Steve said urgently.

"Please," she begged.

Steve looked helplessly at Kono who nodded and hopped into the back of the ambulance. She took Catherine's hand and leaned in close. "Hey, Sista. What do you need?"

"Kono," Catherine squeezed her hand. "when I was trying to get the chain off my neck I lost an earring."

"Catherine … " Steve admonished her. Kono looked at her boss.

"No, listen to me," Catherine said desperately, calling Kono's attention back to her. "It's like this one." She indicated the earring remaining in her left ear. "Can you look for it?"

"I will," Kono assured her. "I promise."

"Can you look hard? I know it's a mess there. And the water. But can you look hard, please?"

"Catherine, I'll buy you any pair of earrings you want."

Steve didn't understand why this one earring was so important to her. All he could think about was getting to the hospital.

Tears stung her eyes. "You bought me these our first Valentine's Day together. I want that earring."

Kono squeezed her hand and smiled. "I'll do my best. I promise."

"Thanks." Catherine's eyes drifted closed.

"Thanks," Steve nodded.

"No problem. We're gonna head back up to the cabin with Danny to deal with Fitzsimmons' body and any other evidence that might be there," Kono said. "Call us as soon as you know anything about Catherine's condition."

"Will do, Kono. Thanks. And you guys be careful."

"Always." She jumped out of the back of the ambulance as the EMT's jumped in. Steve started relaying information about Catherine's condition as Kono closed the back doors and the ambulance took off, light and sirens blaring.

* * *

_**Queens Hospital**_

_**Tuesday 2:00 P.M.**_

Steve sat beside Catherine's bed, stroking her hair, watching her closely for any signs of distress. His own eyelids were heavy with sleep but he wouldn't allow himself to give in until Catherine woke up and he was convinced she was ok.

The doctors had started her on a heavy duty course of antibiotics after they cleaned out the wound as well as possible. They were also treating her with an array of drugs to combat whatever bacteria may have been in the water she laid in on the basement floor.

When they'd finally come to find Steve in the waiting room after what seemed liked days but was actually only hours, they assured him she was going to be fine. The recovery was going to be lengthy but they were confident that it would be complete.

She was sleeping peacefully, a nice change from her restless slumber at the cabin; the only sound in the room was her even breathing and the soft beep of the machines monitoring her condition.

Slowly Catherine drifted back to consciousness.

She opened her eyes and saw Steve's hazel ones looking back at her.

"Hey there," she smiled softly.

"Hey," he smiled back as he gently stroked her cheek.

"We made it." She reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Yes we did. How are you feeling?"

"Better."

This time Steve knew she was telling the truth. She still had a fever but her eyes were much brighter, the color was back in her cheeks and her forehead was no longer creased with pain.

"Good," he smiled. "You look much better."

She studied his face carefully. "Well thank you, but quite honestly you look awful."

"Gee, thanks," Steve chuckled.

"Seriously, Steve. When was the last time you slept?"

He kissed her cheek. "I couldn't rest till I was sure you were feeling better."

Her eyes filled with tears and she opened her arms for a hug, a request he happily complied with.

"I'm feeling better," she assured him as she ran her hands softly up and down his spine. "I'm still tired though."

"Then sleep." He pulled back and kissed her softly on the lips.

Catherine scooted over and patted the space on the bed next to her.

"You too."

"You need to rest. I'm fine in the chair"

"No you're not. Your back has to be killing you. Besides, I'll rest better with you here."

Steve couldn't resist her pleading eyes and truth be told he was exhausted. He crawled into bed beside her, careful to avoid all the tubes, and she curled immediately into his side.

"Steve, about Abbey … "

"Sleep now. We'll talk later."

Within minutes they were both sound asleep.

* * *

_**Queens Hospital**_

_**Tuesday 8:00 P.M.**_

Danny, Kono, Chin & Grover entered Catherine's room with Adam and Samantha in tow. Steve had called them earlier to let them know the good news about Catherine's condition. When Chin, Kono and Danny returned from the cabin they found Grover waiting for them at the Five-O offices. They took care of a few details that needed immediate attention and then decided they couldn't wait any longer to see Catherine. They called Adam to meet them at the hospital then swung by to pick up Samantha Grover. As soon as the young girl heard that Catherine had been rescued and was in the hospital she insisted on visiting immediately, intent on offering Catherine the same comfort Catherine had given her during the hostage situation at the school.

As they entered Catherine's hospital room, Chin was carrying three large pizzas and Samantha carried a bag containing paper plates and napkins but other than that the group appeared empty handed.

They all pulled up short and smiled at the sight in front of them.

Steve and Catherine, arms wound tightly around each other, sound asleep side by side on the bed.

"Should we leave?" Grover asked quietly.

"No, you already woke us up," Steve said without opening his eyes. He felt Catherine shifting slightly and opened his eyes to see her beaming smile and her clear, bright eyes. Somewhere in the last 6 hours her fever had broken.

She turned to her friends and beamed.

"I'm so glad to see you guys."

"We're glad to see you too," Chin smiled.

"Samantha, honey," Catherine said as she saw the young girl hanging back, "you didn't have to come."

"I wanted to," she said stepping forward and giving Catherine a hug.

"We wanted to bring you something but flowers, balloons or a stuffed animal seemed inappropriate," Danny said as the group chuckled. "So we settled on pizza."

Catherine smiled. "That's a perfect choice. I'm starved."

"We even cleared the pizza with your doctor so we're good to go."

Danny moved to her bedside and leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How are you feeling, Hon."

"Good, Danny. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime."

"Oh I almost forgot," Kono said as Samantha opened up the paper plates and napkins they had stopped and purchased on the way in and passed them around. "We did bring you one other thing."

She approached Catherine and reached into her pocket for a small treasure, holding it out with a flourish and a smile.

"You found my earring," Catherine couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes.

"I did. It had somehow lodged itself against the cement and was shining up at me just waiting to be found."

"Thanks, Kono."

"You're welcome, Sista."

"Ok let's eat," Chin said as he opened the boxes and began passing out pizza.

Steve kept a watchful eye on Catherine, worried that it all might be too much for her, but she seemed to be enjoying both the company and the pizza. They had remained on the bed, but were sitting now. Side by side. Subtly leaning on each other.

The other inhabitants of the room were sitting on any available chair, the extra bed, the air conditioning unit.

"Hey Adam," Chin said as they all sat eating their pizza, "have you ever heard the story about Danny and the Yoga Grandma?"

"Can't say that I have," Adam laughed.

"Me either," Samantha said curiously.

"Catherine doesn't want to hear that again," Danny tried.

"Oh yes I do," Catherine grinned. "Go ahead, Chin."

Danny beamed at her. He was so happy to see her feeling better he would gladly suffer through yet another embarrassing retelling of the Granny Yoga story.

As Chin began to talk Danny's phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen.

An hour later the pizza was gone and everyone had enjoyed a number of good laughs, mostly as Danny's expense. Danny's phone buzzed again.

"Excuse me," he said as he headed for the door. "I have to take this."

A few minutes later, as Kono was recounting with glee the story of how Chin ended up nearly falling into a large shark tank, Danny poked his head back in to the room.

"I hate to break up all your fun but, Steve, can I see you outside for a minute?"

"Everything ok," Catherine asked.

"Everything's fine. I just need to take care of few details with Steve."

Steve kissed Catherine on the temple. "I'll be right back," he said as he climbed off the bed and followed Danny into the hall.

* * *

_**Queens Hospital**_

_**Hallway**_

_**Tuesday 9:00 P.M.**_

"Everything ok?" Steve asked as he made his way out of the room and found Danny leaning against the wall to the right of Catherine's door.

"Yeah everything's fine. I just wanted to fill you in on a couple of things."

"Such as?"

"We managed to get Fitzsimmons' body down the mountain on our second trip out. Max sent me the preliminary report earlier. He's been dead at least a week. Apparent gunshot wound. They're going to run ballistics tomorrow but it's the same caliber as Abbey's gun so it looks like she was the shooter."

"Ok. Just have them send the report as soon as it's ready. Catherine told me Fitzsimmons didn't have anything to do with this. Apparently Abbey told her some things before she left the cabin for the last time."

"Eventually we're gonna need to get a statement from her so we can close the case but it can wait until she's had to some time to … process everything that's happened."

Steve nodded.

"She told me a few things this afternoon. I just don't want to push her you know."

"I know. I don't either. Whenever she's ready."

"Thanks, Danny. Hey I forgot to ask. Any word on Officer Jackson?"

"Duke hasn't had a chance to talk to him yet. He's still on the ventilator. But apparently his wife has been with him non-stop. He knows she's there and he can communicate by blinking his eyes. The doctors say that's a great sign. It'll be a long road but it looks like he's out of the woods."

"That's great news."

"And you're not gonna believe this."

"What?"

"Duke said they got a break in the warehouse murders case. Turns out the brother of the owner had a shady side business going after all. Smuggling drugs back and forth to Asia."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. Apparently he had a deal set up with some out of town customers at the warehouse that Friday night. The buyers weren't happy with the quality and everything went sideways in a hurry. The brother's bodyguards ended up killing the two buyers. The third guy was one of his own muscle."

"But why did they butcher the bodies?"

"Apparently they panicked. Thought it would give them time to decide what to do if it took a while to identify the bodies. Two days ago he went to his brother and confessed because he was afraid the dead buyers' people were gonna come after him. The brother called Duke and turned him in."

Steve shook his head.

"On a happier note … any idea when Catherine is being released?"

"I'm not sure. A couple of days at least."

"I wanna get the crime scene clean up team over to your place … make sure all traces of … well of what Abbey did … are gone by the time Cath gets home."

"Thanks, Danny. She'll appreciate that."

"No problem."

Steve started to go back into the room then turned and faced his partner. "I wanted to say thanks, for everything I mean. For coming with me. For getting us down the mountain. I couldn't have done it without you."

"You'd do the same for me." Danny said, trying to deflect any credit.

"Any day of the week." Steve said sincerely.

"OK we better get back in there," Danny patted Steve on the back. "If we leave Chin alone much longer he's gonna start telling the Reynolds story. And neither of us wants that."

Steve laughed as they headed back in the room.

* * *

_**Queens Hospital**_

_**Tuesday 11:00 P.M.**_

"You ok in there?" Steve called from outside of the door of the room's small bathroom. Catherine had begged the doctors to allow her to take a hot shower and to celebrate the fact that her temperature had returned to normal and she had managed to keep two pieces of pizza down, they agreed.

Steve had offered to help but she assured him she'd be fine.

"I'll be out in a minute," Catherine replied over the sound of running water. "I just … it feels so good to take a hot shower."

"I'll bet. Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"No, I'm good," she chuckled.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't think the nurses would appreciate you coming in here to _help_ me," she admonished him.

Steve heard the water turn off. "I can be stealthy."

The sound of her laughter made his heart skip a beat. "I'll be out in one minute. Just be patient."

Steve smiled, then crossed the room and took a seat on the bed. A minute later Catherine came out of the bathroom accompanied by a cloud of steam. She was using her crutches and had a towel thrown over her shoulder.

She crutched over to the bed with a look of pure joy on her face.

"Enjoy your shower?" Steve chuckled.

"It was divine."

Steve took her crutches, leaned them against the wall, then lifted Cath into bed. He removed the plastic covering she'd worn over her left calf and examined the bandage. When he saw it was still dry he said "Looks good."

"See I told you I'd be ok to take a shower."

"I still think you should have let me help you."

"First shower I take after we get home. I promise you can help."

"I'm gonna hold you to that." He waggled his eyebrows.

Catherine yawned. "You planning on staying here tonight?"

"Where else would I be?"

"Just checking. You need a good night's sleep, Steve. I thought you might want to go home and sleep in our nice comfy bed."

"It's not nearly as comfy when you're not there."

Cath scooted over and patted the bed on her right side.

"If the nurses wouldn't have wanted me to help you shower I don't think they'll approve of that."

"We're both dressed."

"For now," he leered playfully.

"Get in bed you silly man."

Steve crawled in and Cath immediately curled into his side. After a minute she started to speak softly.

"I know I need to make a statement about Abbey … "

"Shhhhhhh. Don't worry about any of that now. You concentrate on feeling better. The rest will take care of itself."

* * *

_**McGarrett/Rollins House**_

_**One week after Catherine's release from the hospital**_

_**Morning**_

Steve sat in a chaise lounge, facing the ocean, shirtless in board shorts, Catherine between his legs, wearing his favorite bikini, leaning back against his chest, soaking up the sun.

"This is so much better than a spa," she purred.

"It really is," Steve agreed lazily.

"No cases for three whole days."

"Danny promised. He isn't going to call unless the entire island is about to explode."

"This is heaven."

"I agree."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"That was a great thing you did. Paying to have Jack Fitzsimmons' body flown back to New Mexico so he could be buried next to his parents."

"It was the right thing to do."

"It was … but still … it was very nice of you."

Steve leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head.

"What do you suppose made Abbey go crazy like that?" she asked.

"I have no idea."

"For two years she was talking to me just like a friend every time I saw her. But at the same time she was following me all over the island taking my picture and she was going through our trash. How could she hide that?"

"I don't know, Cath. I wish I did so I could guarantee nothing like that ever happens again."

"It reminds me of something I read once. _'There is a pleasure sure in being mad that none but madmen know.' _"

"I suppose that's true," Steve said.

Catherine closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the ocean. She refused to let the sound of water take her back to the basement at the cabin. She wouldn't give Abbey that power. She sat up and turned to Steve.

"Let's go for a swim."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"I'll take a nap after."

"Ok."

"You better take a nap too."

"Why's that?"

"Because I haven't forgotten that you called my eyebrow waggle un-sexy, Commander. I intend to keep you up all night proving just how sexy it can be until you admit you were wrong."

With that Catherine jumped up and headed towards the water.

"You're on Lieutenant," Steve called as he started after her.

* * *

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